Galaxies
by aderynbrea
Summary: The Reaper War is over and the galaxy has no idea what happened to Commander Shepard after she activated the Crucible. However, the key to her disappearance is nothing what she nor the Normandy crew expected. What lies beyond the edges of the Milky Way will throw Shepard into another thrall of chaos. Rating changed to M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

** Chapter 1 – Prologue **

The "child" gave her three choices. Well, technically there were four, but walking away from ending the Reapers once and for all was not an option. She wouldn't be that stubborn. Whatever she chose would mean the end of the war and her and she knew it. A lump settled in the back of her throat.

_Forgive the insubordination_, _but your boyfriend has an order for you_. _Come back alive. It'd be an awfully empty galaxy without you._

"Garrus, I'm so sorry," she whispered. She never got overtly emotional during these past few years, but she noticed her eyes started to well up. She wasn't going to return to his arms and it tore her apart on the inside.

_Get yourself together, Shepard_, she thought to herself.

She took a moment to think about what was presented to her – she could control the Reapers, but that is what the Illusive Man would have wanted and she wasn't about to stoop down to his level. The second option would allow her to synthesize organics and inorganics. It seemed like a logical choice. It would put an end to any future, if not all, wars. However, she thought back to her final confrontation with Saren on the Citadel three years ago. She remembered the horrible abomination he transformed into and she couldn't let the entire galaxy turn into _that._

It was decided. Her third option was the one that made the most sense. It would do exactly what she planned on doing to the Reapers from day one: destroy them. With her pistol in her right hand, she started to limp towards the giant piston, or at least that's what she thought it was. When she got a few meters away from it, she aimed her gun towards it and started shooting at the glass. With each shot and step, the glowing red energy within started to seep out.

She started to think about everyone who helped her get this far. Anderson was like a father to her after she lost hers on Mindoir. Thane was a good friend and his selfless sacrifice helped her save the Citadel from the Cerberus attack. But it was Garrus' image in her mind that meant the most to her and she made sure he was the last thing on her mind when she died.

The glass shattered and Shepard was swiftly consumed by the explosion.

* * *

Garrus was furious with Shepard's call. He would have jumped right out of the _Normandy_ and remained with her had it not been for his armor being decimated beyond belief and James firmly holding him up/keeping him inside the ship. He wanted desperately to be at her six. He was _always_ at her six. Her hand caressing his cheek and her final 'I love you' didn't make matters any better. The hatch started to close and all Garrus could do was hold his arm out towards her. The _Normandy_ lifted off and Shepard drifted further and further away.

James dragged him down to the med-bay to have Dr. Chakwas heal his injuries. He helped Garrus up on the examining table. Garrus felt a few sharp pains jolt through his body but he didn't think the injuries weren't life threatening. He looked down at his armor. It was still smoldering from the Mako explosion. How pathetic was that? He'd dodged bullets, returned from a suicide mission from the Omega 4 Relay and taken out a few Reapers and his armor only got scuffed here and there. But a Mako explosion had destroyed his armor and nearly knocked him out. Now he had another reason to hate the Mako.

"We need to get you out of this armor now, before it burns you to death," Dr. Chakwas ordered.

The pieces unsnapped fairly easily. Some fell off on their own due to the disintegrated straps. His under armor had a few holes burnt into it, but it was still intact. Chakwas started applying MediGel immediately to his wounds.

"You've got third degree burns. Lie down and just try to relax. These Medi-gel applications will sting quite a bit," Dr. Chakwas said.

The _Normandy_ was shaking violently whilst this and he could hear Admiral Hackett's order over the intercom system. _All fleets, the Crucible is armed. Disengage and head to the rendezvous point. I repeat, disengage and get the hell out of here._

Then there was a sudden boom. It could have only come from the Citadel.

"No!" Garrus yelled as he jumped from the table. The shock of Hackett's orders hit him hard. They…_he_ had to go back and get Shepard, now. "We can't leave her behind. We have to go back for her!" How could this be happening? Shepard was supposed to come back to the _Normandy; _to_ him_. The Citadel was exploding and Shepard was in the middle of it. There wasn't a damn thing he could do to help her but he sure as hell would try.

"Get back on that table, Mr. Vakarian! You're in no shape to be moving around," Chakwas protested, "I will sedate you if I have to. James, please contain him!"

"You wouldn't dare," Garrus snapped at her. James grabbed onto him and Garrus mustered what strength he had left to throw the buff soldier off of him. When Garrus reached the med-bay door he was struck with a bout of dizziness. He turned around to Dr. Chakwas holding an empty syringe in her hand. He didn't actually think she would act on her threat.

"Shepard, please…," Garrus wearily muttered, his sentence unfinished. It only took a few moments for the drugs to take effect. The last thing Garrus saw was the floor.

* * *

When Garrus came to, the _Normandy_ was shaking more violently that it was when they retreated from the Sol system. He looked around the med-bay and noticed Dr. Chakwas running around, trying to keep her medical equipment from falling over. He tried to get up but he noticed he was strapped down to the medical table. What the hell was going on?

_Damn it! _Garrus heard over the intercom. It was Joker. _Brace for impact!_

_Brace for…?_ Garrus' thought was quickly interrupted as his body attempted to fling off the table. If not for the restraints, he would have been flown through the med-bay window and into the crew deck. His body snapped back onto the table, hitting his head against the hard, metal surface. The instant pain to his head placed him in a temporary daze. The _Normandy_ finally stopped moving. _Thank the spirits_, Garrus thought.

After gaining full consciousness again, he heard moaning coming from near the AI Core door. Lifting his head up as much as he could, he saw Dr. Chakwas lying on the floor. She looked really beat up.

"Doctor, you ok?" he asked.

"Not really, but I'll live," she responded.

"Could you get me out of these restraints? I think I have some serious whiplash."

"Negative, Mr. Vakarian," she winced, "I think I broke my leg. I can't reach you to….damn it! I shouldn't have moved my leg like that. Sorry, but you and I are stuck right here until someone comes down here."

Luckily, minutes later, Liara walked into the med-bay with an injured crew member.

"By the Goddess! What happened?" she exclaimed. She sat the crew member down in a nearby chair.

"A little help here, Liara," Garrus requested, "I'm fine, but I can't get out of these restraints. Dr. Chakwas on the other hand will need some help. She broke her leg."

"Maybe both," Chakwas responded, "Hard to tell until I run some scans, but definitely one for sure."

Liara wasted no time in getting Garrus out of his restraints. He hopped off the table and rotated his head and rubbed his wrists to make sure he hadn't sustained any serious damage. He would probably have a few bruises and a sore neck for the next few weeks, but he would be okay. He rushed over to where Chakwas was lying and picked her up off the floor. She winced in pain as soon as her legs moved.

"Just set me on that table over here," Chakwas pointed to the table nearest to her and the door. He didn't have to be an expert on reading human faces to know she was in excruciating pain. "Those damned sedatives didn't last long at all. Remind me to pick up some stronger doses next time we're at a medical supply station."

"How long was I out for?" Garrus asked.

"A few minutes. Just enough time to restrain you on the table before the _Normandy_ crashed."

Garrus turned to Liara for his next questions. "What the hell happened? Why did the _Normandy_ crash? Where are we?"

"I honestly have no idea," Liara replied, her face somber, "but EDI suddenly went offline and the next thing we know, Joker lost control of the ship. We've landed on some tropical world, though I have no idea which one. We've lost all communications and the drive core is in a wreck right now. Tali, Adams, Donnelly, and Daniels are working on it right now to get it back online. But for the moment, we're stranded here." If communications were out, that meant the Shadow Broker was in the dark, and it wasn't a feeling Liara liked, Garrus figured.

"What in the world did Shepard do up there?" Chakwas asked. The thought of Shepard had temporarily been out of Garrus' mind, but Chakwas' mention of her name brought back that wretched feeling again. His head fell and his mandibles tightened, trying to hold back any emotion. He still didn't know the fate of Shepard and he started to worry again. It was quickly taken over by rage. The thought of Shepard left behind was intolerable for him. Dr. Chakwas took notice of the sudden change in the turian.

"Don't you dare go into another blood rage again, Mr. Vakarian. I understand you're upset about Shepard and having to leave her behind, but so are the rest of us," he suddenly felt a hand resting on his upper arm, "We'll find her."

"Will we?" Garrus doubted. He wanted nothing more than to know Shepard survived, to hold her tightly in his arms, and take her far away from these devastated planets and retire. But Garrus was a realist and he absolutely hated it. What were the odds of Shepard surviving an explosion like that? If Admiral Hackett had to order the whole fleet to retreat, the explosion must have been massive.

Without another word, he walked right out of the med-bay and right to the elevator. He pushed number one on the consol. Maybe a few minutes in her cabin would help him collect his thoughts, because right now, he just wanted to punch something, or even someone.

To his surprise, Shepard's cabin wasn't trashed from the crash. Her model ships were thrown across the floor as well as the other knick-knacks she had collected in the past year. The fish were astonishingly still alive, swimming around like nothing had ever happened.

He turned the corner, curious about the fate of her beloved space hamster. The cage was still perched on the shelf. Apparently, Shepard had the thing glued down or something. Garrus couldn't see the hamster. He tapped on the glass gently, and seconds later, the hamster popped his head outside of his little home. Garrus sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't get reprimanded by Shepard for getting her pets killed.

That is, if he saw her again.

Damn his reasoning! In his frustration, he sat down on the edge of the bed and buried his face into his hands. He tried to reason his anger. He was mad that they had to leave her behind, sure, but he was also furious at the prospect of her not returning to him. But was that anger? It really was anguish when he thought about it. A galaxy without her would truly be an empty one and that thought tore him apart inside and out.

He lay down on the bed. If he could cry, he would right now. The thought of losing her again was unbearable. The first time she had died, he took his frustration out on the mercs on Omega and nearly got himself killed in the process. But she had come for him, saving him from joining her in death. It was reminiscent to an ancient human story Shepard had explained to him once. He thought it was called _Romero and Janet_. Or maybe it was _Robert and Julie_. Either way, he remembered the ending to be tragic and a tragic ending was exactly the opposite of what Shepard would have ever wanted. If he met up with her at that bar they had talked about now, he would never hear the end of it from her.

_Shepard has to be alive. She's been through worse before. This is nothing compared to the things we've been through together_, he rationalized. It was the only thing that was going to quell his feelings for the moment.

And that was all he needed.

Before he knew it, Garrus was fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 2 - Blue

**A/N part one: Thanks to everyone who has followed this so far! I've had this story in mind for quite some time and finally got around to writing it down. I'll be updating it weekly at the very least. More chapters throughout the week will depend on how much time I have to write. Reviews and critiques are much appreciated. Also, Bioware owns all the original content. I'll just be adding my own person tweaks here and there. **

Rubble fell all around her. Structures and objects that were once something were reduced to smoldering piles of ash. The smell of burnt flesh woke Commander Shepard. The stench would have made her double over in disgust; the nausea set deep in her stomach and throat. She tried to move her arms to cover her nose and mouth but an unbearable pain jolted through her entire body, nearly making her black out. Her scream of pain echoed throughout the room full of carnage. She tried to focus of breathing, but that hurt too. Shallow breaths would have to do to keep her from throwing up.

All she could see was what was above her. Turning her head was impossible. Her vision wasn't entirely in focus yet, but her peripheral vision told her enough that her suit reduced to char. She tried her best to look at her surroundings. Surprisingly, the glass structure of the Citadel control room had not broken when she set off the Crucible, or she would have been spaced -again.

She remembered the first time she died. She panicked at first when she realized the pressure seals were broken, desperately trying to grab for them. Never in her first life had she been more afraid than in that moment. She always put up a strong and confident face for everyone she interacted with and completed all of her missions with fervor and exactness. She had made some tough decisions, like leaving Ashley, her friend, on Virmire, but she didn't let it cloud her judgment. But after realizing her suit was compromised, she lost her composure. It only took seconds for her to suffocate, but fear was definitely on her mind then.

Now, she felt accomplishment. She finished what she set out to do and could die knowing the galaxy was safe from the Reapers. Her vision was out of focus now and the smell of death around her ceased. Her breaths became less and less frequent. Death for a second time would be more peaceful.

Then there was a strange humming in her head. She couldn't place where the noise was coming from, but she heard _something_. She tried to focus in on it, but she couldn't make out what it was. She thought it may have been someone trying to talk to her, but she couldn't understand the language. She wasn't surprised that her translator fritzed from the explosion, but she decided someone was trying to talk to her.

The words continued to flow throughout her mind, but her catatonic body had no way to respond. Then, shades of blue entered her vision. She couldn't make out who it could have been, maybe an asari or even a turian – like Garrus. It could have been him, with his piercing blue eyes or his colony markings. But that small sliver of hope raced out of her when she realized the noise didn't flange. There was no way it could have belonged to a turian.

She tried to focus in more on the noise, but she was slipping. She was barely breathing and she closed her eyes in attempt to relax her body more. She assumed the blue figures were still around her. Maybe they were there to take her to that bar in the sky.

She would definitely like that.

* * *

It had been two weeks since the _Normandy_ crash landed on Eden Prime. One of the first things to come back online was the galaxy map and it told the _Normandy_ crew they crash landed on the forsaken planet. Garrus thought it was ironic that they landed on Eden Prime. It was the beginning of this entire war and where they had found Javik. Now it's where they crashed after defeating the Reapers. Everything came back to Eden Prime one way or another.

Garrus was eating in the mess when Liara approached him. She had a spark in her eyes.

"Garrus, Traynor and I finally got the coms back up. Meet me in the QEC room in five. I'm going to find Kaiden and then we'll try to set up a link with Admiral Hackett."

Finally. They were about to get some answers about what happened in the aftermath of the war. Two weeks in the dark was a long time, especially for a person like Liara. He also wanted to know what happened to Shepard and Garrus was going to make it a top priority to find out what happened to her.

Garrus was in the QEC room in two minutes instead of five. He impatiently waited for Liara and Kaiden to arrive. When they entered the room, Garrus noticed the anxiety on Kaiden's face.  
He knew the other human spectre was once really close to Shepard, but they had decided to remain friends. Every once in a while, Garrus could sense the resentment of losing Shepard to him from Kaiden, but Kaiden never made a public scene of it nor had he tried talking to Garrus about how he really felt about him. There was always some tension between the two of them when they were in the same room together.

"Good, let's get started," Liara spoke as she entered some numbers into the com panel. In seconds, Admiral Hackett appeared before them, arms relaxed at his sides. Garrus saw the Admiral a few times before the war, but the man standing in front of him was barely recognizable. The skin around his eyes was darker than before and his skin aged the man well beyond what his actual age was. Garrus was surprised Hackett was still standing after everything he has been through keeping the fleet mobilized and overseeing the construction of the Crucible.

"Dr. T'Soni, Major Alenko, Mr. Vakarian, it's good to see you all doing well. How is the progress on the drive core going?"

"We're almost done, Admiral. Our engineers have been working non-stop to get them back up," Liara jumped in.

"That's good to hear," Hackett replied, "do you have an ETA for returning to Earth?

"We will be able to leave Eden Prime at 0700 tomorrow, sir. It may be a few days until we arrive at Earth without the mass relays" Liara responded.

Garrus was taken aback. The mass relays weren't working? How was that possible?

"Good," Hackett said, shifting his stance. He placed his arms behind his back, "Major Alenko."

Kaiden immediately stood up straight at attention, "Yes sir?"

"When the _Normandy_ returns to Earth, the Alliance will need to look her over and make sure she hasn't sustained any further damage from the war. Once that it complete, you'll take over as her commanding officer. I have an assignment I would like to brief you on in person upon your arrival."

Garrus' jaw dropped. The bluntness in Hackett's words paralyzed him. He wanted to ask about what happened to Shepard but the shock prevented him from saying anything. Luckily, Kaiden could muster the words that Garrus could not.

"What about Shepard, sir? What happened to her?"

Hackett remained silent for a moment. Garrus could tell he was trying to think of the right words to say. That unnerved Garrus to his core. It meant something happened to her, such as not surviving. But what Hackett said was worse than Shepard's death.

"She's disappeared. We've sent in rescue teams into the Citadel and we can't find a trace of her ever being there. We've ran DNA scans on all the bodies and we can't find her."

Garrus looked over to Kaiden and Liara and they had the same expression on their faces as he. They could not believe the words coming from Hackett's mouth. Garrus' mind flooded with questions and he finally regained the ability to speak again.

"So is that what you want Kaiden to do? Preform a search and rescue?"

"Negative, Mr. Vakarian," Hackett dully replied.

"What?" Anxiety and shock quickly turned to ire. Garrus wanted to punch the image of Hackett, but he knew that would not have any effect. "So what exactly _are_ you going to do?"

"I need the _Normandy_ as well as every other surviving frigate in the Alliance fleet to run assignments across the galaxy. Their more efficient FTL drives will be able to travel faster than a carrier or dreadnaught. The _Normandy_ will be running some reconnaissance missions."

"So you're just going to ignore Shepard's disappearance then? She could be dead, or dying!" Garrus retorted.

"As much as I want to know what the hell happened to my best soldier, I need to focus on the bigger picture. We have a galaxy to rebuild. Once we have more information about her disappearance, I'll assemble a team to explore those feeds, but at this moment in time, I need every able ship. It's best to assume she's MIA, at the moment."

_You mean she's good as dead_, Garrus thought, but he didn't say that. Instead he said, "I want to be part of that team when the time arrives. Until then, I'll gather as much info as I…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Vakarian, but that will have to wait," Hackett sharply cut him off, "I've been in contact with Primarch Victus and he wants you to report to him the moment you land back on Earth. He has some assignments for you."

Garrus wanted to protest, but he realized that he would be arguing a moot point. Just like what happened three years ago, people were turning their backs on Shepard. After everything she has done for this damned galaxy, they were going to walk away from her and probably try to wash their hands of everything she had done.

But Garrus had hope. He was with Shepard from the beginning and he knew how she inspired the people she met. You may be able to deny all the hard work she accomplished, but you could never kill the ideals she represented. The krogan would be singing songs of her bravery and persistence to cure the genophage. The Quarians would be eternally grateful to her for helping them retake their home world and brokering peace with the geth. What remained of the Rachni would be indebted to her for saving them, twice. Garrus would use this to his advantage. He would look for Shepard alone if he had to, but would use these kinds of avenues to find her. He would still perform the duties expected of him from the Hierarchy, but he would be searching for Shepard too. He knew he had his duty to his race, but he also had a duty to Shepard.

"I'll be expecting your arrival in a few days then," Hackett said, breaking Garrus' train of thought, "And Dr. T'Soni, if you and Admiral Tali'Zorah can find any information on why the geth randomly dropped off the grid, it would be much appreciated. Major Alenko, I'll see you promptly upon your arrival. And Mr. Vakarian, don't think I'm ignoring the issue here. I want to know what happened to her as much as you, but you have to understand the position I'm in right now."

"I do, sir," Garrus dryly replied.

"Good. Hackett out," the transmission ended.

* * *

Garrus looked down at the plate in his hands. Shepard's name was engraved on it and he was just standing there, staring at it. The rest of the _Normandy_ crew was standing behind him, waiting for him to place it on the memorial with the rest of the fallen soldiers. After the transmission with Admiral Hackett ended, Liara, Kaiden and Garrus came to the decision to honor Shepard's memory along with the rest of the fallen soldiers, though the three of them refused to accept Shepard's death. They thought it would give some semblance of peace for the rest of the crew. They gathered the entire _Normandy_ crew the next morning after they got off of Eden Prime to perform the ceremony. Of course, Garrus was given the "honor" of placing her name on the wall.

Garrus noticed the metal was a bit malleable. A small smile crept across his face but it wasn't because he was happy about what he was about to do. He remembered her short auburn hair and how he was always fascinated with the way it moved when she walked. He remembered her sweet earthy scent every time he held her in his embrace. He remembered the late nights they would spend together in Port Observation reminiscing about their time on the _Normandy_, sometimes adding more action and drama to make their stories sound more interesting. Of course his were always better. He smiled for those moments, and for the ones he would have once he found her.

Garrus found the metal snapped in half fairly easily. He heard some of the crew gasp at what he had done but he knew it was the only thing that should be done. Shepard wasn't a ghost yet. Garrus turned and walked towards the nearest air lock on the deck. He opened the hatch, threw the broken nameplate in, closed it, and hit the button. He walked silently back to the main battery and refused to speak with anyone for the duration of their trip back to Earth.

**A/N part two: I'm excited for next week's chapter. I'll be introducing a lot of new information/ideas/characters, so I hope I don't confuse anyone with it. Expect a longer chapter than these first two. Thanks everyone! **


	3. Chapter 3 - Taken

**A/N: Alright, here's chapter 3! I decided to upload chapters 3 and 4 at the same time because A) there's a lot of new info here, so I broke it down into two chapters and B) I may or may not be able to post anything next week since I'll be out of town, but I'll try my best to write something up and post.**

**I do encourage anyone to let me know if anything in the next few chapters doesn't make sense. I spent this whole week writing, reading, re-reading, and editing things and tried my best to keep everything as straightforward as possible. So if anything doesn't flow well in the timeline or maybe I could suss out a point more, please let me know! And please leave reviews too. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this story so far. The follows that I have already are very encouraging! Thank you all so much!  
**

The first thing Shepard heard was that humming noise again. The noise, or the speaking, was louder and more feverous than the first time she heard it.

But that meant she hadn't died. Or did she?

She opened her eyes. It took them a few seconds to adjust to the bright lights beaming down on her, but she immediately noticed that she was not back in the Citadel control room. First glances told her she was in a stark white room, very similar to an operating room. Shepard tried to move her arms and legs and found that she could relatively easily. There was a dull, aching sore but she could move; a definite improvement from her state last time.

She tried to sit up but failed in her first attempt. She accomplished to the second time around. The movement of her sitting up caused a slight tingling in her left arm. She looked down and noticed a needle attached to a tube sticking out of her skin part way. Her gaze followed the tube to an IV machine. She rotated her head in attempt loosen the stiff muscles in her neck. Next, she turned her head to the left, observing some type of obscure medical equipment. Vials, needles, trays, and utensils were neatly arranged on the small portable table next to her bed. Against the walls were counters and cabinets and some other odd looking medical supplies.

Shepard turned her head to the right, expecting a similar scene, but it was quite the opposite.

Five blue bodies of light gathered around a table, just standing there, saying nothing but waving their arms around like they were in a heated argument. Shepard blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but every time she reopened her them, they were still there. Their bodies were humanoid in shape, like a ghostly apparition. They showed no physical features like hair nor did they wear clothing, or at least Shepard's idea of clothing. They all had a more masculine figure, so she assumed they were all male.

A couple of the humanoids noticed she was awake and swiftly walked, maybe glided, towards her. Shepard wasn't sure if she should back away from them or stay where she was. She opted for staying, since the forms did not look threatening, at least not yet. One of the bodies stood right in front of her, its arms wide open, like some sort of greeting.

That was when the strange whirring speech she heard before became clear and focused in her mind, but she still could not understand it. She assumed it came from the individual standing right in front of her. His words surged smoothly through her mind, but she could not piece any of it together.

"I'm sorry, but I can't understand a thing you are saying," Shepard decided to say.

The apparition's head tilted to the side, probably in confusion. It responded with more odd words, but nothing Shepard could decipher.

"Umm, hello. My name is Commander Shepard. Uh, could you tell me where I am right now, or who you are?"

She got nothing more than the same confused looks.

"Will you get away from her?" an enraged female voice emerged from behind Shepard. A young human girl entered the room with a bit of elegant fury in each of her steps. Her hair was a wavy and raven black and fell midway down her back. Her skin was slightly paler than most humans, but it worked well with the pigments in her hair. Her body was slim, but with a curvy bust and hips. She didn't look much older than twenty - twenty-two, tops. She was wearing pants that looked like they were made of denim and a pastel yellow tank top. Shepard never saw anyone wear denim anymore and was sure it was a dated fashion, but the girl pulled the look off flawlessly.

The next few words from the girl's mouth were unrecognizable to Shepard, but it sounded like the communications the blue bodies were trying to say to her. Four of the forms promptly left the room after the girl stopped speaking. One, however, stayed behind, which caused the girl so let out an exasperated sigh.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking, Ba'el? Why did you not tell me about her waking up? Actually, don't answer that, I don't want to hear your answer."

Silence.

"No! That isn't the point!" she continued.

_Is she talking to herself? _Shepard thought.

The girl, still glaring at the remaining blue body, roared, "She was supposed to die there. But no, you had to go play 'divine intervention' again. Are you all planning on developing some kind of human colony? Once was a mistake, the second time is just absurd and just…"

She stopped mid-sentence and turned towards Shepard. She slapped her hands across her mouth and her eyes widened in horror.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. How insensitive of me," Shepard could sense the pure horror and embarrassment in her voice, "I shouldn't have said those things like that. It's just it's easier for me to express myself in English and….I…oh dear, I hope I haven't upset you."

"It's not a problem," Shepard shrugged off, "So you speak English? What about…them?" Shepard point towards the blue entity. What did she call it?

"Yes, I do, as well as – gosh, how in the world do I explain all of this?" She turned to the form and retorted, "I know I have to tell her, but how?"

Shepard gave the girl a confused look. "How about you start with your names?"

"Oh, of course! My name is Angelica Krier, but you can call me Genie. And this is…"

_My name is Ba'el, Commander. It's a pleasure to meet you_.

Shepard's confusion grew more. "Did he just speak to my brain? Because I'm sure I didn't hear him say anything. In fact, I've constantly been hearing this buzzing in my head ever since I woke up. He's the first one I've been able to understand, aside from you."

"Yes, Commander," Genie replied, "his species doesn't actually speak, per se. They are a telepathic race, to put it simply. It's quite difficult to explain."

"Wait, so who are they, or more specifically, him? And where the hell am I?'"

Genie sighed, "Straight to the point, huh? Well, to put it simply, Ba'el is part of a species called the Andona and we are located on the planet, Malyona."

"Malyona? I've never heard of it. What cluster does it belong to?"

"Well, that's the troubling thing I'm trying to tell you. I guess there isn't any way to ease you into it but…" Genie stopped suddenly.

"But what?" Shepard asked, folding her arms together in irritation.

_Malyona does not exist in what you call the Milky Way Galaxy. We are in the Inar Galaxy._ Ba'el interrupted.

"The what?" Shepard's patience was starting to wear thin at this point and Genie could sense it in her voice.

"Look, Commander, do you think we could take this conversation elsewhere? I'm not very fond of hospitals and I'm sure you would like make yourself a bit more comfortable than that hard bed you've been sleeping on. I'll cook us some food and you can change your clothes. You're welcome to anything in my closet."

"Sounds like a plan. I hate hospitals too. They make me sick."

_I do not understand the dislike of our hospital setting, Commander._

"Just call me Shepard, please."

_Very well, Shepard._

"Lots of humans don't like hospitals, Ba'el," Genie responded, "It has something to do with the sterility of the room. It's unnerving."

_Understood._

Genie sighed. "Sorry, many Andona are like this. You'll have to excuse his impudence."

"That's fine. Let's just get out of here."

* * *

The journey to Genie's apartment was strange but oddly familiar. The trip from the hospital to her living quarters was not long but she could see bits and pieces of the Andona society from the skycar, or trans-car as Ba'el called it, window. The mass amount of cars winding through tall buildings and the thrum they produced brought back memories of her days on the Citadel with her crew. That is what this city reminded her of; a Citadel with different designs in architecture and also located planeside versus in space.

Upon their arrival to Genie's home, Ba'el wandered off to another room in the house while Genie showed Shepard to her personal room. Before locking herself in her host's chamber, she asked if she could use her shower, to which Genie had no objections. Genie said she would start making dinner while Shepard washed up.

A hot shower was exactly what Shepard needed. The cascading water hitting her body washed away any ill sensations she had before. It washed away the fear, the pain, and the uneasiness. For those brief minutes in the shower, she forgot where she was and why she was still alive. She finally snapped back to reality after she finished her ritual of washing her hair and body. She noticed her hair was a lot longer than she usually kept it. Her hair ordinarily fell to her chin, but now it draped her shoulders. Rapid hair growth wasn't a side effect from her cybernetics. _How long have I been out? _She wondered, _I guess it's something to ask Genie about._

After her shower, Shepard stared into Genie's closet, trying to decide what to wear. She desperately wanted to get out of the bed sheet of a gown she was wearing. There were many dresses to choose from, as well as a few of the pants like the ones Genie wore. Shepard thought they were called jeans. Genie also had a wide variety of tops from draping chiffon blouses to cotton tees. Shepard felt more comfortable in pants and a shirt than things like dresses and skirts so she opted for a pair of jeans and a blue tee shirt. She didn't notice how well off she looked until she saw herself in Genie's mirror. She expected her flesh to be red and nearly burnt off from the explosion, but she only sustained a few scars on her arms and legs, most of which were healing themselves due to her cybernetics.

Shepard swiftly changed her clothes and exited Genie's room and moved towards the couch that sat in the middle of her living room. Genie was in the kitchen cooking something. Shepard wasn't sure what it smelled like, but it smelled delicious. She wondered what Andonian food tasted like. Hopefully it wasn't like asari food. She wasn't very fond of her food moving around when it got to her. She preferred it dead, and most of the time, cooked.

"Those clothes look good on you, Shepard. Better than the scorched armor you had before. Sorry if my wardrobe seems a bit dated."

"What _did_ happen to my armor?"

Genie let out a faint laugh. "I have it stored in a facility not too far from here. The Andona wanted to throw it away because it's trashed beyond belief, but I decided it would be best to hold on to it until you decided what to do with it. The Andona don't understand human sentimentality. It's kind of ironic coming from the species that threw a huge fit when I hijacked one of their precious artifacts in order to keep you alive."

"What did you take?"

"It's kind of like an archaic blender," Genie pointed to an odd looking machine on her kitchen counter. It did have some resemblance to a blender, but it was a lot wider rather than taller.

Shepard gave Genie a muddled glare from across the room.

Genie took notice of her look immediately. "Don't worry! I washed the thing a million times before using it. The only way to keep you fed was through tubes and only liquids would work. So I cooked you meals everyday with the right amount of nutrients to keep you healthy and disease-free. However, you may want to drown yourself in some citrus fruits. I had a horrible _iik_ infestation a few weeks prior and just got it under control. It would be a shame for you to succumb to scurvy so soon after waking up again."

With that comment, Genie finished her cooking and approached Shepard with two plates in her hand. Genie sat down across from Shepard and placed a hot and heaping portion of what looked like spaghetti in front of her. "Alright, time to play 20 Questions, Shepard."

"Is this what I think it is?" was the first.

Genie laughed. "Indeed it is _and_ it's the real thing. I made everything from scratch. I kind of have to in order to survive on this planet. And I apologize for it being vegetarian. There aren't many sources of meat on Malyona. I'm lucky enough to get eggs from a _varok_."

Shepard wasted no time digging into her food. "What do you mean by survive?"

"Well, the Andona don't eat. They have no need to. They feed off of light, so that's why Ba'el won't be joining us for a while. He needs to recharge."

"That almost sounds like he's a robot." Part of a noodle hung out of her mouth and she quickly slurped it up. Damn, she was acting like a starved varren.

"Well, that's the best translation I can come up with. The Andonian language is slightly complex due to its simplicity of words." Genie took a bit of her noodles and tomato sauce.

"How long have you lived with the Andona then?" Shepard could wait for the more important questions. For right now she wanted to get to know the only human on this planet, mostly for the sake of her own survival.

"Six years," Genie's head lowered a bit and her eyes shifted, "I've been here since I was sixteen. I was abducted by the Andona."

"Abducted?" Shepard repeated.

"Uh-huh. It was purely by accident though. The Andona have been studying Earth for about 5,000 years now. They are absolutely captivated with human culture. They find our will to survive remarkable and our ability to destroy other people of our race fascinating. The time it took humans to achieve space flight was noteworthy to them. I think it's because they view humans to be similar to them. They really are a curious species. They are constantly studying other races across multiple galaxies for the sake of learning. But anyways, I digress."

"So you were taken in 2180? A lot has changed since then."

"2181 is actually when the Andona took me. However, I was taken _from_ 2007."

Shepard nearly choked on the food in her mouth. "Wait, how is that possible?"

"The Andona were experimenting with a temporal portal. It was one of many experiments they were working on to learn more about human culture along with a devise to shorten the time it takes to travel between galaxies. Any additional and more detailed information that they wanted to learn about Earth and its species would have to be performed in this one expedition to the planet. Most of the information they gathered prior to coming to Earth was via satellites disguised as asteroids and other mundane space junk. Once they had the opportunity and technology to travel to Earth themselves, they gathered a myriad of crops and objects from different time periods in our history using the portal. Apparently everything had been going according to plan until they picked me up," Genie paused for a brief moment to take a bite then continued, "It happened to be purely coincidental. I was in the right place at the wrong time."

"They didn't even try to send you back? Or was the damage already done?"

"It was impossible. The portal imploded after I passed through it. They never bothered to try and fix it because they didn't want to accidently snatch another human. I swear, for months I constantly heard apologies for what they done. The strange thing is I didn't mind the abduction at all. I was in a rough place at the time. They kind of saved me, if you want to look at it like that. Anyways, since I couldn't go back to my own time nor did I want to throw myself into a world that was 174 years ahead of what I understood at the time, I decided to live among the Andona. And to tell you the truth, I was just as curious about them as they were of me."

Shepard swallowed the last bite of her meal. "You seemed to have assimilated into their society okay. I mean, you speak their language, right?"

"Correct. It was actually Ba'el who taught me. He was my caretaker, of sorts, then. Now, he's one of my best friends here and in exchange for teaching me Andonian and taking care of me, I taught him English. That's why you can understand him when he speaks to you."

"Are there other languages that are spoken on Malyona or around this galaxy?"

"Andonian is the only language native to this planet, but there are a few other languages spoken in other parts of the Inar galaxy. I've already learned Tundsali and Harock and I'm studying Milranian at the moment. I pick up languages easily and have become a kind of polyglot. As for human languages, I speak Spanish, French, and Japanese on top of English."

"Wow, Japanese? That's kind of different from Spanish or French." Shepard was impressed. She could barely speak English correctly most of the time.

"I was in the process of learning it when the Andona took me. I decided to try and East Asian language for a change. It was a lot of fun to speak and write!" A smile stretched across Genie's face. Shepard could tell this was something she was passionate about.

"Most species these days in the Milky Way have an real-time translator, so that way communication amongst all the galactic species is easier," Shepard decided to tell her, "Learning a language is kind of a dead art form now. You'd probably have a field day with some of the Citadel languages, like Elcor. Very monotone."

"It sounds like a lot of fun! There is a similar technology used here too, but I find it more exciting and rewarding to take the time to learn an alien's mother tongue. I hope I get the chance to hear all these new languages you've mentioned. May not be able to learn them all though. How many different races exist in our galaxy?"

A knot suddenly formed in Shepard's stomach. Their conversation made her wonder if she would ever get to hear Garrus' voice again. His smooth and low subharmonics would always lull her mind when she felt overly stressed from the war. She was grateful for her rescue by the Andona, but she wondered how Garrus was doing, or even if he survived from damages he sustained from the last push in London.

"Shepard, is everything alright? If you don't feel well, you can go ahead and rest. This must have been a rough day for you."

"How long has it been?" Shepard abruptly asked.

"Since the Andona rescued you?"

Shepard nodded.

"About a year and a half. You were in a coma the entire time."

A year and a half was a long time and who knew how far away she was from the Milky Way.

"And the Reapers?"

"The ones attacking your galaxy were destroyed. Whatever that Crucible was killed all the ones attempting to harvest you."

Instead of that knot tightening more, her stomach just dropped. "Are you saying there are more of them out there?"

Genie slowly nodded. "Your Crucible destroyed a quarter of their forces. There are still more out there, and that's probably the sole reason the Andona rescued you from your fate that day, Shepard. It's probably best to wait until Ba'el is rested to have this conversation. He'll be able to explain it in more detail than I could. We'll talk about it more in the morning, okay? I think its best we retire for the night."

"Fair enough," Shepard agreed. Rest was the last thing she wanted to do since she apparently had spent the past year and a half in a coma, but it would probably be best to have a fresh mind tomorrow.

"I do have one more question to ask." There was something else she wanted to do before going to bed.

"Sure, what it is?"

"Is there any way I can send some kind of communication to the Milky Way. You've mentioned that the Andona gather information from satellites, so do you think they could transmit a message?"

Genie sat still, looking down in a deep thought for a couple of minutes. Then she responded, "You could try. If you want to, you can send a message from my private terminal," Genie directed Shepard's attention to a machine in the corner of the living room, "In theory, it should work, but I'm not sure if the message would be understandable to the recipient. I modded the terminal with an English-based interface, so you'll be able to read and type in English but any documents end up getting thrown through my translator mod. I haven't tried sending anything without that filter but it may work. I'm logged into all the Milky Way satellites since I can best interpret any incoming information for the Andona, so you'll have the best chance of sending it off from there. I have a program that can pinpoint certain localities in the galaxy via our satellites. Since you're more familiar with the Milky Way than I, you may be able to send your message to a direct location."

"I appreciate it, Genie," Shepard thanked.

"No problem at all, and good luck. Let me know if you need help using the terminal, but it should be similar to what you currently use. I'll wait here until you're done sending your message. Sending it to anyone in particular…if you don't mind me asking?" Genie added.

_Garrus_, Shepard thought of saying. She had to at least make some attempt to contact him, to tell him that she was alive. "Someone who's special to me. I care a lot for him and I just hope he's alright after everything we've been through together in the war," she decided to convey.

"Again, good luck. I'm sure he still believes you to be alive. You are a remarkable woman, Shepard, truly inspirational."

Shepard wanted to ask how exactly she knew of her accomplishments and how she concluded she was a "remarkable woman" but she eagerly wanted to send Garrus a message. She would get more answers to her questions in the morning. Plus, Ba'el would be joining them and like Genie said, he had more answers than she could attempt provide.

Shepard sat down in front of the terminal and touched the hologram-like keyboard. The screen flashed on. She took a moment to familiarize herself with the interface. Genie was right, it was remarkably similar to what she used back home. It was easy enough to gain access to the satellite program Genie mentioned. Shepard remembered all the terminal codes for every computer aboard the _Normandy_, so she decided to try inputting the code for the main battery computer, Garrus' computer, as the recipient address. Now she only had to type out her message. Her thoughts exuded from her mind to her finger and she typed effortlessly:

_Garrus,_

_If you're reading this, then I'm alive. I'm not in a place within your reach though, so please don't try and find me. I'll come find you. I don't know how long it'll take, but I will come back to you. You better not be waiting for me at the bar. I still plan to make good on that idea you had before we made the final push in London, so please don't do anything stupid like you did last time I was gone for this long. I love you, Garrus. I'll send you another message when I can._

_Shepard_

MESSAGE SENT


	4. Chapter 4 - The Diet

**A/N: Here's chapter 4! Things are about to get more serious. Like I mentioned in chapter 3, I decided to upload chapters 3 and 4 at the same time because A) there's a lot of new info here, so I broke it down into two chapters and B) I may or may not be able to post anything next week since I'll be out of town, but I'll try my best to write something up and post.**

**I do encourage anyone to let me know if anything in the next few chapters doesn't make sense. I spent this whole week writing, reading, re-reading, and editing things and tried my best to keep everything as straightforward as possible. So if anything doesn't flow well in the timeline or maybe I could suss out a point more, please let me know! And please leave reviews too. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this story so far. The follows that I have already are very encouraging! Thank you all so much!**

Shepard was too restless to sleep. Any decent attempt at it failed because continually waking up, tossing and turning constantly was too tedious. There was no alarm clock in the room she stayed in and her omni-tool was god knows where. A look outside the curtained window revealed small rays of light seeping in. Shepard assumed it was sometime in the early morning. She was sick of lying in her bed and grew thirsty, so she decided to get up and grab a glass of water or something to sate her thirst.

Shepard slowly opened the door, trying not to create any loud noises that might wake anyone. She took a few steps past the door's threshold and turned the corner that led into the kitchen. Instead of an empty room like Shepard expected, there was Ba'el fiddling around with some device that looked like a coffee pot. It was quite entertaining to see the blue shadow get frustrated over a machine like that.

_Good morning, Shepard. Did you sleep well?_

"It wasn't the best I've had, but then again, I've had my fair share of sleep recently. Are you making coffee?"

_Why yes, I am. Would you like some?_

A small smile appeared on Shepard's face. "Yes, that would be wonderful. Wait, you don't even drink coffee, do you?"

_No, I don't. I'm sure Genie has told you a little about us already. _Ba'el briefly paused. _My research tells me that it is a common human custom to drink coffee every morning. I was attempting to make some for when you awoke, but I guess I was a bit late._

"Don't worry about it. I'm a light sleeper anyways. I'll take cream and sugar with that, by the way." Shepard pulled herself on a barstool and continued to watch Ba'el struggle.

_Cram and what?_

"_Cream_ and sugar, you know, things you put into coffee. I guess your research didn't tell you how sweet some humans like their drinks."

_No, it didn't. I'll have to take note of that. Thank you, Shepard._ Ba'el turned around and walked towards the refrigerator. He took a few minutes searching around the contents within. He let out a low grumble under his breath.

"You need help?" Shepard offered.

_Yes please. As long as I've known Genie, I'm still unfamiliar with the food she consumes. It makes no sense to me as to why she needs to eat these kinds of things. She gets plenty of sleep so she should be energized enough._

"Probably the same reason why it makes no sense to recharge yourself every day," she jested.

_But that makes no….wait, was that a joke?_

Shepard couldn't help but laugh aloud. The Andona's attitude and curiosity was reminiscent of when EDI tried to understand certain human concepts in her new body. Shepard enjoyed the time they spent together in the Presidium Commons. They would spend hours sitting on a bench and EDI would point out a behavior she found odd or interesting and Shepard would try her best to explain the custom to her.

"What are you two doing up so early?" Genie interrupted, letting out a long and exasperated yawn.

_Sorry Genie. We didn't mean to wake you up. I was trying to make Shepard some coffee and I was having trouble finding this 'cream and sugar' she asked for._

"Not a problem, Ba'el. I couldn't get much rest anyways. And you, Shepard? Were you able to get some sleep?"

"Hardly. It's not a problem though. I was too fidgety, I guess."

Genie joined Shepard, pulling up another barstool next to her. Genie leaned over the counter to examine what Ba'el was up to. "You know you have to turn it on for it to work, right?"

_I know. Just give me a minute. These human contraptions are so complicated._

"I really do wonder how the Andona haven't died off yet. You can create portals and space ships, but you can't use a coffee maker?" Genie smiled.

Ba'el pressed a button on the machine and it started to grumble and steam. It took a long time for it to produce any coffee.

"Did you add water?" Genie giggled.

Ba'el stomped his foot in frustration and said something Shepard couldn't understand, probably in Andonian. Shepard didn't have to know what he said to figure out that his irritated reaction was hilarious. Shepard and Genie bust out laughing at his expense.

"Okay, Ba'el. We can't mess with the coffee pot all day long. I got a message from the Diet late last night and they want to see us and Shepard during their second round of discussions. They'll be expecting us to brief her on everything prior, so we better start our discussion from last night sooner rather than later." Genie turned to Shepard, "I believe we were talking about the Crucible and the Reapers, correct?"

"Yes," Shepard replied, "You said that there are more, correct? How is that possible?"

"I'll let Ba'el answer that one. _I'll_ get us some coffee. You said cream and sugar, right, Shepard?" she gestured for Ba'el to give up his battle with the coffee brewer. He let out a small sigh and switched places with Genie, taking the seat she previously occupied. Shepard gave a small nod to Genie in reply.

_I guess I should start with the Andona's history with the Reapers, or better yet, about how we came to evolve past somatic bodies._ Ba'el started.

"So your species wasn't always like this?" Shepard questioned.

_Correct. Millions of years ago, the Andona had bodies similar to yours and Genie's. We hunted and scavenged for our food and eventually started inventing tools and machinery to make our lives easier. Our society developed quickly and before our ancestors knew it, we were exploring space and the planets that surround Malyona. It was about 500,000 years ago that we first discovered the Tundsal, a reptilian-like race, and within the next 50,000 years discovered a handful of sapient life forms throughout the galaxy. As we explored more and more of our galaxy, our ancestors noticed a change in how our bodies were adapting to the environments around us. The need to consume food became less frequent and our need to be near light grew. However, there were some of us who did not want to grow closer to the light. They liked killing their pray and devouring it. This split in thoughts and desires over thousands of years created a new malicious species. They call themselves the Harock. Does any of this make sense to you, Shepard, or should I go back and explain in more detail?_

"No, I understand so far. I'm guessing this will all lead up to the Reapers eventually?"

_Yes, it does, as well as why you are here right now. But I must explain our history with the Harock first, so please bear with me._

"I will, as long as I get the answers I need," she coolly replied.

"You'll get them, trust me," Genie cut in, handing Shepard a cup of coffee along with a small glass of milk and a few sugar cubes. Genie joined in the conversation, leaning on the counter in front of her and Ba'el. Shepard sweetened her coffee to her liking, took a sip, and continued listening to Ba'el's elucidation.

_The Harock are physically similar to the Andona. They, too, no longer have physical bodies but they still consume organic matter in order to survive and unlike the Andona, illuminate with a yellow hue instead of blue. Over the years, their need to eat made them power hungry, and they started to invade planets where innocent sapient races lived. This led to the Inar War, which our galaxy is named after, 250,000 years ago. The war was devastating, especially to the species that still bore physical bodies. It was nearly impossible for these races to go up against a species that had no real body. The only way the Harock could be controlled was if the Andona intervened. We are normally a peaceful species, but we understood the threat the Harock presented. It was easier for an Andona, who also had no physical body, to injure a Harock than a bullet from a gun pulled by a Milrana. Bullets will go through our bodies. Mixtures of elements and electricity will not and cause damage. Therefore, the only way to eradicate the Harock was to use our martial skills against them. Unfortunately, such close hand to hand combat was devastating to the Andona numbers. Three out of five Andona that went off to fight perished. Needless to say, our population was in a crisis after the war. Luckily, our greatest war hero, Jar'mol, pushed back the final waves of Harock and secluded them to the Southern part of the galaxy, where they reside today. Effectively, our galaxy has been split in half: Andona and Harock controlled space. Harock are rarely seen and usually a patrol ship or two may be spotted on the Balronian Fringe. _

"Hold on for just a minute," Shepard interjected and turned to Genie, "Didn't you tell me yesterday that you could speak Harock?"

"Yes. Harock and Andonian are linguistically similar, given their history. Oddly enough, it is a language taught to all Andona children in order to preserve their rich heritage. To understand Harock is to understand their history, something the Andona hold dear to them. So it was natural for Ba'el to teach me Harock when he taught me Andonian. I'm sorry I didn't mention this before, but without this background info, you would have been more confused than you are already."

"Understood," Shepard sighed and turned back to Ba'el, "Please continue."

_Allow me to backtrack to the genetic separation of Andona and Harock as well as the loss of our corporal bodies. This happened about 400,000 years back, and it was also about the time we had our first encounter with the Harvesters, or the Reapers as you call them. Their first contact with us happened right before our bodily changes and the Harvesters deemed us unfit for harvest. We apparently weren't quite at our apex. They told us they would return in 50,000 years, enough time for us to develop to our full potential. Little did the Harvesters know that the Andona and Harock, the only two zenith races, evolved past the means of their harvesting methods. It was impossible to reap what did not physically exist, so we were spared, at least that is what we believed. They did not return after 50,000 years, 100,000 years, and 200,000 years. We assumed they gave up but only recently, we saw them resurface in Harock space. Our military has sent out a few reconnaissance missions past the Balronian Fringe to investigate them, but we haven't gathered much information. The Harock have kept the Harvester's reappearance well hidden, so we have no idea how long they have been in this galaxy. I believe our meeting with the Diet later today will clarify any further questions you may have, such as why they brought you here. _

"Probably to deal with their Reaper problem," Shepard answered dryly.

She closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. The information presented to her would have overwhelmed most people but she wasn't most people. Dealing with the strange, odd, and unbelievable was part of her job and what made her the great leader everyone looked up to and followed without question. She could make sense out of thin air and what Ba'el just told her seemed like one of those moments. "Let me just clarify the chronology of everything you just told me," Shepard began after mentally filtering everything Ba'el presented to her, "The Andona and Harock used to be the same race made of flesh and bones then eventually evolved past the need for bodies and separated because they didn't agree on how they should eat, or in the Andona's case, regain energy. And _right_ before this all started to happen, the Reapers made contact but thought your race could evolve further but when they returned 50,000 years later, they couldn't harvest what had become two races at their apex and essentially left you both to your own devices. And _now_ that they have shown their ugly mugs in your galaxy again, you need my help to stop them. Is this a correct analysis, Ba'el?"

Ba'el just stared at her. She could have sworn that if he had the ability to blink in disbelief and a jaw to drop, he would have done so.

_I did not expect you to understand everything so quickly. I was expecting a round of clarifying questions, _was his response.

"Nope," Shepard leaned back in her chair and threw her hands behind her head, "I think I know exactly how this Diet meeting is going to go."

"That's good to hear, Shepard, because we better get going to said meeting. Their second round of discussions will start in half an hour and it would be best if we arrived early," Genie finally spoke after Ba'el's lengthy story, "I need to grab a few things before we leave. I'll meet you and Ba'el by the trans-car in a few minutes and then we can head out."

* * *

The Diet building was massive. Shepard expected the structure to have a modern and futuristic-like style to it like many structures back on the Citadel or on the home worlds, but its architecture was exactly the opposite. The building looked ancient. Colossal pillars dominated the skyline from hundreds of meters high, smooth stone graced every imaginable surface and bright, vibrant colors from hand-painted murals adorned the walls and ceiling. Shepard was impressed, and this was just the foyer. There were other buildings surrounding the Diet that had similar architecture and were obviously historical sites, but the remainder of the area, as well as the rest of the city, were constructed of metal and glass and sported sleek, clean lines. Shepard wondered if structures like the Diet were the culmination of untouched civilization. Without the Reapers to bring the Andona their destruction, their history continued to illuminate through places like this.

Before Shepard, Genie, and Ba'el entered the main Diet halls, Genie pulled her aside and handed her two small devices.

"Remember when I said we had similar real-time translators to yours? Well, this is one, and you're going to need it. I messaged the Diet ahead of time with a translator update I created for English, so if they updated their systems, we all should be able to understand each other."

"Thanks," Shepard said as she inserted the ear pieces. They were slightly uncomfortable sitting in her ear, but nothing she couldn't handle. She was more used to the chip implant she had before.

Ba'el opened the foreboding doors and they entered the Main Hall. The room was circular with escalated seats which nearly reached the ceiling of the tall room. They nearly encircled the entire room, except the front where an elevated pedestal stood. The seats were mostly filled with Andona, but there were other races present as well.

In front of this enormous audience stood four individuals that represented each of the species in the room. These must be the leaders of their societies. An Andona stood in the middle while the reptilian creature, possibly a Tundsal, stood to his right a rodent-like species to his left. A blobby individual stood next to the rodent.

_This discussion has come to order, _the Andona boomed. His body beamed a radiant amount of blue, clearly establishing his superiority.

In an instant, the entire room fell quiet and anyone standing swiftly sat down.

_Ba'el, Genie, and Commander Shepard, please step forward, _the Andona continued. The trio approached the center of the room and stood directly before the Diet. _Commander Shepard, welcome to the Diet. I am Representative Lal'me and I serve the Andona in our galactic politics._

"My name is Della of the Balrona. It is a pleasure to meet you, Commander." The blob spoke next. The voice sounded more feminine and slightly echoed after she finished her sentence. It was difficult for Shepard to describe, or even contemplate, the being's physical features. In fact, the only comparison she could come up with was an amoeba, and that was being too descriptive. She wanted to compare them to the hanar, but these beings were more…fluid, but they had a solid shape. Shepard had to stop looking at her or her head was going to explode.

Shepard tilted her head forward to return his greeting, trying to avoid eye contact.

"And I am Representative Krag and I am a Tundsal. Welcome to the Diet's chambers."

Her initial mental image of when Ba'el first mentioned them earlier was a combination of a krogan and a salarian. To her surprise, they looked exactly like sophisticated velociraptors. Representative Krag wore a black suit with red stripes running down the sleeves. Krag's voice was rough and slithery but he spoke with a certain air about him. Shepard could feel the pretentiousness in his voice and it sent an irritated vibe throughout her body. It was exactly these types of individuals who pissed her off the most.

"My name is Jessal and I am the representative for the Milrana," the rodent finally squeaked.

Her long snout constantly moved, sensing the environment around her. She wore a long, sleeveless, emerald form-fitting dress which exposed her midriff. Her fur coat was mostly a dark tan but she had white markings around her eyes and stomach.

"I am dearly sorry for the circumstances of your presence, but we hope by the end of this discussion you will have all your answers," Jessal continued.

"I would hope so too," Shepard replied, "Though I have a good idea why I'm here."

_Yes, it must be fairly obvious, but it's not as simple as you may think, _Lal'me confirmed. _The Harvester threat is more serious than we previously thought. Just a few months ago, our intelligence outlets received word that the Harock are working with the Harvesters. We are not sure what they are planning exactly, but we must assume the worst right now. We are looking at another Inar War here. _

Krag elaborated on Lal'me's comments, "I'm sure Ba'el and Genie briefed you about this galaxy's history. Needless to say, death tolls will be exponential. We are unsure if we can survive a joint attack like this."

"Indeed," Jessal agreed, "We are fairly familiar with your service record back in your own galaxy. You eradicated the Harvesters from the Milky Way nearly single-handedly. You are a powerful asset to us right now."

Shepard lowered her head and shook it slowly. These races didn't truly understand the destruction they were about to face, and if the Harock were working with the Reapers, they were more than likely indoctrinated. If the Harock alone nearly wiped out their existence before, the Reapers would surely make sure every race in this galaxy would meet extinction, with the Harock acting as their pawns.

"Look, I am extremely grateful to you all for saving my ass but unfortunately I'm only one person and I can't just snap my fingers together and make the Reapers, Harvesters, or whatever you want to call them, go away. It took my entire galaxy to unite together to bring them down. It may seem like it was all my doing, but I only presented them with the truth. My warnings and actions were ignored by nearly everyone for three years before anyone began to listen. To have _any _chance of taking on the Harvesters, every race in Andona controlled space must work together. If you don't, you _will_ fail. I don't know what your species' militaries are like, but you better have some heavy fire power if you're going to succeed."

And eerie silence lingered in the room.

"We are willing to fight, Commander," Della said, breaking the silence.

_Yes, our militaries are prepared to do this. Although we have not been plagued with war for thousands of years, the Andona are still military tacticians. Our hand-to-hand combat abilities are a force to be reckoned with. Our people feared another war would happen, so we continued to live as if we were constantly on the brink of war. It is unfortunate that the day has finally arrived,_ Lal'me lamented.

Shepard crossed her arms and placed her weight on her right leg. "Do you have a plan to pull this all off or are you expecting me to come up with a plan for you?"

"We do, actually," Krag responded, "Our research indicates your people constructed some sort of weapon which was used to obliterate the Harvesters. We are willing to commit scientists and engineers to its construction. We also have a similar device to activate the weapon. It is a space station that orbits a Tundsali colony a few star systems away. The only problem is, we need the blueprints before we can start its construction, which means you'll need to return to your galaxy and procure them for us."

"How the hell do you expect her to do that?" Genie yelled, breaking her silence.

"She will have to take one of the exploration ships," Jessal replied.

"That journey will take nearly three months!" Genie retorted.

_Yes, unfortunately it will, _Lal'me interjected, _but if the Commander follows the specific route we've plotted, it will complete the final connection we need to run the rapid transporters our scientists have worked on. Intergalactic travel between our galaxies should be significantly reduced from months to a few days._

Shepard officially was confused. She started to believe everything said to her was too farfetched, even for her own reasoning.

"Allow me to explain everything, Commander," Krag snarled, "Basically, for the past few decades, our galaxy has slowly been setting up connections between our rapid transporters and the devices you call mass relays. They are similar in design. The ancient Andona constructed the transporters across our galaxy while the Harvesters built your relays. If I recall correctly, your mass relays use something called element zero. That element does not naturally exist here. We use ununoctium instead. We are not sure how the technologies are similar. Perhaps since the elements used exist on opposite sides of the spectrum they create a polar attraction but we believe the technology was something left behind from our first encounters with the Harvesters. Our scientists and engineers have calculated that five connections are needed to make rapid transport possible. So far, we have made four in these star clusters."

Krag flicked his claws and a gigantic galaxy map of the Milky Way floated above everyone's heads. Four red dots appeared in the southern part of the map and Shepard instantly recognized them as the Apien Crest, Atheon Cluster, Local Cluster, and the Arcturus Stream.

"The final connection spot exists in this cluster," Krag continued. A green dot appeared. It was the Exodus Cluster. "We designed our exploration ships to leave a transmitting signal trail. Once the connection is made, we will have the ability to effectively reduce the mass of our ships for rapid transport to these five star systems."

Della stepped forward slightly, interjecting his self into Krag's explanation, "We would like to establish friendly contacts with the species of your galaxy, Commander, perhaps even create an alliance to fight against the Harvesters. This is the main reason we sent Andona scouts to rescue you. We believe you to be the key to guaranteeing intergalactic relations."

"So you just expect me to say 'yes' to all of this?" Shepard simply asked.

_You do not have to, but we do hope you take our situation into consideration, _Lal'me replied.

Shepard let out a loud sigh. She didn't have to agree to this, but she knew she couldn't live with herself if she refused and left them to their grim fate. Plus, a Reaper threat to these creatures meant another impending encounter with the Reapers again and that was something they were not prepared for. The Milky Way was already is disrepair before she activated the Crucible and it would take decades to fully recover from the scars their war left behind.

Shepard took a step forward and looked up at the galaxy map once more before speaking. "I'm honestly surprised. I've never met politicians who've had their crap together before. You definitely have had this planned out for some time. I'll help you and your people. The Reapers are a serious threat and there's a good chance the Harock are indoctrinated by them. They'll be formidable foes, if this is the case. I'll try my best to bring some of my people back to help fight, but it may be difficult since we're dealing with the aftermath of the war so I can't promise you a certain number right now. I'm assuming clearly established communications comes with this transportation route between our galaxies? If I need to get ahold of you for any reason I need to know you'll be able to receive my messages. The one I sent out last night was kind of iffy, at best."

"Yes, Commander, we will have a strong communications connection with you. The transmitting signal from the ship will also emit enough waves to hook up with the comm buoys near the mass relays. Messages will nearly be instantaneous since they are waves and not actual objects, like a ship," Della's voice echoed.

"That's good," Shepard acknowledged, "I have to ask, are you expecting me to do this all alone or do I get a team?"

_You will have a team, Commander. The Diet has discussed this issue at length and we decided that Ba'el and Genie would be the two best suited to accompany you, _Lal'me conveyed.

"So you just volunteered us? Sheesh thanks a bunch," Genie sarcastically remarked.

_I do not see any problem in this, Representative Lal'me, _Ba'el shrugged. _It would be a great honor to represent the Andona in this mission. _

Shepard smiled. She would have a good old three man team again; exactly how she operated. She just had to hope Ba'el and Genie were good shots if they encountered any enemies on the way. "Good to hear, Representatives. Now, we do we begin?"


	5. Chapter 5 - Family

**A/N: I was able to write up another chapter for this week! With work, I don't have a lot of time to write, but I'm glad I could get another chapter in before my trip this weekend. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's a lot less technical than the last two. With the next few chapters, I'll be switching between Garrus' POV and Shepard's, so next week there will be more technical stuff. I have a clear idea of where I want to go with this story and there are a few sub-plots I've already came up with, so bear with me with these first ten chapters. I really want to give a good background before going any further. Any critiques or comments you may have are welcomed. I want to make sure I'm making all the technical stuff clear and I'd love to know how I'm doing with this story.** **Thanks for the support!**

Garrus skimmed the tower of data pads stacked on his desk. The majority of them were mission reports and new crew member transfers but the few he had a particular interest were forwarded from Liara. It was a little over a year and a half since Shepard's disappearance and Garrus continued to search for her. He periodically received information from the Shadow Broker. The info she sent him was often scarce and didn't provide anything new most of the time but there were a couple of bits and pieces Garrus attained that still gave him hope.

The damage to the Citadel was substantial. It only took two months to fix the relays but the Citadel was too damaged to risk sending it through the relays back to the Serpent Nebula, so it continued to orbit Earth. During this time, multiple crews, including him, Liara, and Tali, scattered throughout the space station to search for survivors with Shepard being a top priority. Her body was never found despite a full cleanup of the Citadel and there wasn't any evidence to suggest she was ever there. Without a body, Garrus refused to accept her death. However, about a month ago, reports came across his desk from various sources saying they spotted an unidentified ship near the Citadel after the Crucible's activation and fled scene shortly after. This was the best lead Garrus had and the most viable.

Someone had Shepard and probably held her hostage. A person like the Commander would be a valuable bargaining chip for a terrorist organization but he couldn't figure out why they were waiting for so long. Even his fine-tuned investigation skills from his days at C-Sec couldn't lead him to a perpetrator or a specific motive exactly, which frustrated Garrus to no end. What was even more frustrating was that he had been too damned busy with his work on Palaven and with the Hierarchy to thoroughly investigate the leads he found. He sometimes sent inquires back to Liara to further research, but nothing popped back up. There wasn't any evidence, other than the gut feeling of Shepard still alive, to actively pursue the leads. No locations were given, just eye witness reports.

Garrus slammed his fist on his desk in frustration and the tower of data pads fell to the floor. He regretted not staying on Earth to continue looking for Shepard on the Citadel. He made the mistake of talking with Victus the moment he landed on Earth. Victus, to Garrus' disbelief, understood his feelings for Shepard but convinced him that his help was needed on Palaven the moment the relays opened back up. There were thousands of refugees stranded on Earth because the mass relays were nonfunctional.

Upon the _Normandy's_ arrival on Earth, the ship and its human crew were commandeered by the Alliance Navy, forcing its alien crew to disperse. Without the relays, Tali, Garrus, and Liara spent the two months on Earth helping alien refugee camps and searching for Shepard and other survivors on the Citadel. Most of their time was spent helping their respective species in some shape or form, with the exception of Javik. No one knew where he went after landing on Earth. He only mentioned that his vengeance had been fulfilled but nothing past that.

When the relays were finally operational, the three friends made their final goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Tali returned to Rannoch to help her people rebuild their planet; however, without the geth, manpower was significantly reduced to the surviving quarians. Luckily the salarians, who were nearly unaffected by the war, got over their giant egos and helped the quarians with housing developments and researched the best ways to farm the planet.

Liara went back to Thesia for a while to help her fellow asari recover from the massive damage the Reapers laid on the planet. Her time there was short lived due her duties as the Shadow Broker. She wouldn't tell Garrus exactly where she went, but she assured him she was in a safe and secure place. He was unable to trace where any of the files she sent came from so he had to trust the asari about her safety.

As for Garrus, his time since Earth was spent doing whatever Primarch Victus threw at him. Upon his return to Palaven, Victus immediately bestowed him the rank of General and gave him the _PFS Havincaw_ to captain. The bulk of Garrus' missions revolved around relief effort to various parts of the galaxy. With the few days he had in between missions, Garrus would sit like he was at his desk in his one room apartment on Cipritine looking over mission reports or looking for leads on Shepard, or he would spend time with his family, especially with his sister.

Prior to the Reaper War, Garrus spent very little time with his family. After he quit C-Sec and went to Omega he didn't have any contact with his family for over two years until the _Normandy_ ran its suicide mission. Garrus' first and only message was with his sister prior to entering the Omega 4 Relay. It was a poor way to compensate for the fact he didn't attempt to spend any time with the family before the mission. Solana was furious with him for months afterwards for not visiting. Almost all of his teammates decided to settle family issues before sacrificing themselves for the galaxy while Garrus focused on revenge instead. While it was worth it to avenge his old team from Omega, Garrus did regret not spending time with his family, especially his mother. She was slowly dying from Corpalis Syndrome and Garrus thought playing vengeful vigilante was more important.

However, during the six months Shepard was out of commission after the Alpha Relay incident, Garrus returned to Palaven and stayed with his family on their estate in Cipritine. His mother's health was on a rapid decline and Garrus made his best efforts to repent for his absence. Corpalis had done too much damage to her for any of the salarian treatments at the Helos Medical Institute to take effect so she returned to Palaven to live out her final days.

Garrus remembered the day she died. His father and sister joined him around his mother's bed. Solana sat next to their father; her mandibles clenched together, trying to hold back wails. His father leaned on his mother's bed and held his bondmate's hands in his. Garrus and his father rarely saw eye-to-eye and Garrus thought him to be a stubborn ass, but on that day, Garrus saw a different man. He saw a lamenting man who showed an unwavering compassion for his bondmate. He kept himself composed but Garrus could see the hurt lingering in his eyes.

Garrus sat on the opposite side of her bed. His final conversation with his mother and her last words were clearly burnt into his memory.

"_I'm so sorry for not being here with you, mom. I've been a terrible son."_

"_Don't say such things, Garrus. As I lay here and look into the eyes of the man who sits in front of me, I can die knowing I raised such a strong and independent man. You've done so much for this galaxy, my son. Do not forget that. I didn't need you constantly by my side to know that you cared about me. You've shown your love in more ways than one. You've helped with my treatments and also created future for other turians with Corpalis."_

"_Mom…How did you…" Garrus' voice caught. _

"_I'm your mother, Garrus. It my duty to know what you've been up to," she smiled. _

_He smiled back. "Yeah, I guess it is." _

_His mother was suddenly hit with a coughing fit, forcing her to heave forward._

"_Mother!" Solana yowled._

"_Don't fret, my dear Solana," his mother managed to whisper between coughs, "Have I told you that you look exactly like your father?"_

_Solana could only manage to nod._

"_Arrian would be so proud of you. You too, Garrus," she turned her head to her son._

_His mother acted like his father didn't exist, sitting next to her while holding her hands. One of the horrible symptoms of Corpalis was memory loss and his mother had forgotten what her bondmate looked like. All she had left were scattered memories of him. His father took the unfamiliarity hard but he didn't outwardly show it. He continued to sit there, staring at his bondmate with longing eyes. _

_Another coughing fit attacked his mother. Her breathing became more rapid, trying to compensate for the lack of air entering her body. _

"_Renita!" his father howled. He suddenly stood up and placed his arm around her back and held her in a comforting embrace. _

"_Arrian, is that you?" his mother questioned._

"_Yes, my love, it's me." he cooed._

_She smiled. Her eyes closed and her chest stopped moving. _

"_No, Mother!" Solana keened. _

_Garrus lowered his head and let out a despairing grumble. When he looked back up, his father still held his mother in his arms with his head resting in the crook of her neck. Garrus walked over to Solana and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he motioned towards the door. She acknowledged his intentions and they left their father to mourn for his bondmate in peace. _

* * *

A ping from his front door snapped Garrus from his thoughts.

"Come in."

The door swooshed open and Solana walked into his home. "Hey, Garrus. Have you looked at your new crew members yet?" her mandibles widened to a smile.

"No I haven't. Why do you ask?"

Solana clanked in her white and black armor as she shifted her weight to her left leg and crossed her arms. She gave Garrus a stern look, a look that she acquired from their father. His mother was right. Solana looked a lot like him. Her colony markings were more rigid, unlike their mother's soft flowing marks. Her feminine body wasn't much different from other turian females but her demeanor was just as menacing as their father's. Her sharp, sky blue eyes demanded respect from those around her. She was a spitting image of their father.

"Why don't you look at your data pad and find out?" she suggested, "Though with the way you keep this place, I'll be shocked if you find it."

Garrus searched through the scattered mess, remembering he glanced at it earlier. Solana just stood there and stared at him while he rummaged around.

He finally found the data pad and looked over it.

**Crew transfers to the **_**PFS Havincaw**_ **effective immediately:**

_Acanthus Cinna - Navigator_

_Ovid Milo - Engineer_

_Flora Domitilla – Gunnery Chief_

_Solana Vakarian – Field Medic_

**Next assignment:**

_Rendezvous with the _SSV Normandy_ at Khar'shan, the batarian home world, in the Kite's Nest system. The _Havincaw_ and _Normandy_ will perform a joint relief mission in batarian space. Major Alenko will brief you upon your arrival to Khar'shan. You'll be leaving at 0600. _

_-Victus_

"What a surprise…" Garrus started to say.

"I know! I get to serve under my big brother. How exciting is…."

"We're going to batarian space. Who would have thought that?" Garrus finished, cutting off his sister.

"_Garrus!"_ Solana stomped her foot.

"_And _I get to boss my little sister around," he added, chuckling, "Are you sure you can handle the pressure?"

"Of course I can. I'm the best field medic the Hierarchy has."

"So the best turian field medic couldn't fix her own leg on the battlefield?" Garrus grinned.

"That's not fair," Solana snapped back, "I ran out of supplies."

"Uh-huh. Sure," he smirked, "But it'll be good to have you aboard. You're a damned good medic, Sol. I wouldn't want anyone else patching up my wounds on the field. Honestly."

"Well, with the way you operate, you're going to constantly need me by your side," she pointed to the right side of her face.

"Exactly, because I take a rocket to the face on a daily basis."

"You sure look like you do," she laughed, "Anyways, Dad and I were going to have dinner at that restaurant we always go to on the Capital Commons. Want to join us? I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind. I'll send him a message."

Solana opened up her omni-tool and started to type the message.

Garrus opened his mouth, about the object to the invitation but he decided he was tired of looking over files and reports. He and his father still weren't on the best of terms but they did grow a bit closer after he nearly lost him and Sol to the Reapers.

"Sure, Sol, sounds great. Let me wrap up here and we can head out."

* * *

Before meeting up with their father, Garrus and Solana changed out of their armor and into their civvies. Garrus opted for his green suit with blue and gold embellishments. Then they dropped by their family estate to allow Solana to change. She chose to wear her favorite outfit which was red with intricate white and black adornments.

When the siblings arrived at the restaurant Solana mentioned to the host that there would be a party of three under 'Vakarian.' The host gestured for them to follow them, stating that their third member was at their table waiting.

Arrian Vakarian was still dressed in his work uniform. It was royal blue, the traditional Vakarian color, with silver detailing. He didn't wear armor anymore since his retirement from the military but he currently worked as an advisor for Primarch Victus.

"Glad to see you join us for dinner, son," his father stood up and motioned for he and Solana to join him at the table. The old turian's movements weren't as fast and fluid as they used to be. His body moved more methodically. His eyes were obviously sleep deprived from his work but still as menacing as ever.

"Good to see you, Dad. It's been a few months, hasn't it? Is Victus keeping you busy?" Garrus walked over to his father and gave him a welcoming hug before sitting down.

"Just as busy as you. I heard from him that the _Havincaw_ will be heading out tomorrow morning for another mission," Arrian turned towards Solana, "Victus also mentioned that you'd be serving on the _Havincaw_ for this tour. Be sure to keep your brother on his toes."

"Of course," she chuckled.

"It's good to see you're settling back into normal turian life again, Garrus," his father continued.

Garrus crossed his arms. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

His father leaned forward on the table and clasped his hands together, "You finally have an honorable position in the military as a general and you command your own ship. I'll admit I was disappointed with you when you quit C-Sec to be with the human Spectre to chase down Saren and then the Collectors."

"The 'human Spectre' has a name," Garrus interrupted. He never told his father and Solana about his relationship with Shepard. In fact, he was afraid to. His father still didn't trust humans and especially didn't trust Spectres. If his father found out about his human girlfriend, he'd probably disown him.

"If you'll allow me to finish, I'll tell you that the work you two did together was remarkable. You, your Commander, and the rest of her crew did everything everyone else in the galaxy refused to do. I admire that and I'm proud to say my son was part of that."

Garrus wasn't expecting his father to say _that_.

"Are we done with the mushy stuff now? I'd like to order food sometime in the next few years," Solana jumped in.

"Sol's right. We're here to eat and enjoy ourselves, not get oversentimental," his father turned around and caught their waiter's attention, "three turian brandies, please."

Garrus' mandibles widened to a smile. It was nice to see his father loosen up like this.

* * *

The rest of the evening with his family was enjoyable. Garrus thought it was nice to get his mind off of things every once in a while.

He returned to his tiny apartment and began packing his foot locker for the following morning. He kept most of his belongings in his cabin but he always took his weapons, mods and armor with him when the _Havincaw_ docked on Cipritine for refueling, restocking and system checks. Garrus and his crew were usually gone for a few months at a time but there were a few missions, like supply runs, that lasted only a week or two.

Garrus was cleaning and checking his Black Widow when his omni-tool pinged with a new message. He set the sniper rifle down and brought up the message. It was from Kaiden.

_Hey Garrus,_

_I received some interesting information about Shepard's whereabouts. I don't want to discuss the details over an unsecure channel, so meet me at the _Normandy's_ docking bay on Khar'shan when you arrive tomorrow. I'll also brief you on our joint mission together, but in all honesty, it'll be child's play compared to this intel. Be sure to bring you're A-game. _

_K._

A mixture of anxiety and contentment filled Garrus. He was sure Kaiden had a location on Shepard or he wouldn't have bothered contacting him like this. Garrus resumed checking his weapons and armor with fervor. Finally, after a year and a half, he was going to get some straight answers about his lover's whereabouts. If she was hurt in any shape or form, Garrus would make sure the culprit would not live to see another day and make sure their death slow and painful.

Garrus placed the last modded weapon in his foot locker but before closing it, he grabbed for a tiny box that sat on his night table. He hadn't moved it from its spot since he acquired his apartment until now. He opened the top and a small sapphire ring with a gold band sat in the center.

"_I don't understand why buying her a ring would be such a big deal. I mean, it would be a nice piece of jewelry for her, but she isn't a jewelry kind of person," Garrus shrugged._

_Garrus, James, and Joker were sitting in the Mess Hall in the early hours of the morning. The three men had trouble falling asleep so they decided to occupy their time with idle chit-chat. However, the conversation unintentionally turned more serious after an hour or so._

"_Have you even done any research on humans or do you usually just wing it?" Joker asked._

"_I've done research but I don't understand everything about humans. So what exactly is so special about a ring?" _

"_It's the ultimate sign of commitment amongst humans, Scars," James answered, "A diamond ring symbolizes the desire to marry each other or in your case, bond or mate or whatever turians do."_

"_Turians usually just decide to bond and they have a ceremony to celebrate. There isn't a physical representation like a ring to profess your love for one another," Garrus paused for a moment, deep in thought, "Does the ring have to be diamond?"_

_Joker let out a small laugh, "No, but it's traditional. Does Shepard not like diamonds or something?"_

_Garrus shook his head, "No, she doesn't, actually."_

"_Wait, amigo, so you've talked about what stones she does and doesn't like? That's a sure sign that she's committed. Now you _have_ to buy her a ring!" James ushered. _

He bought the ring from a high-end jewelry shop on the Citadel before their attack on the Cerberus base and planned on giving it to Shepard before their final push in London; however, the timing didn't seem right when the moment came up. He was so sure that they would come out of the war with only a few scratches and bruises, maybe a broken arm, so he thought it would be better to give it to her when they finally settled down after the war.

It was a decision he regretted. He should have given her the ring before they went to the Illusive Man's headquarters but he was too nervous at the time and Shepard's mind was too preoccupied with the war. Or he should have gone with his original plan and given it to her in London.

Garrus shook the thoughts out of his head. It was too late for what-ifs and should-haves. He needed to focus on tomorrow's mission and be at one hundred percent for his crew.

Garrus closed the box and placed it in a secure spot in his foot locker. Hopefully this endeavor Kaiden mention would finally bring him back to Shepard. He could only pray to the spirits that it would.


	6. Chapter 6 - Tech

**A/N - Sorry this is a few days late! I've been swamped with work and could only write here and there but this chapter is done! I'm done with all the technical jargon for a while, so the next few chapters will be more action packed with a hint of fluff. Please let me know if there are any grammatical errors or odd flow in the story. Enjoy!**

"That went a lot better than I expected," Shepard murmured.

"_Were you expecting the discussion to go worse than that?"_

Shepard nodded.

She, Ba'el, and Genie soundlessly left the Diet building after the discussion session ended and went back to the trans-car. Shepard knew walking into the meeting she would have to face the Reaper's presence again but it wasn't until afterwards the reality actually hit her. She worked so damn hard to eradicate the Reapers from her own galaxy and now she had to do the same for another. She knew the task would be more difficult than the first time around.

Like before, conventional methods were out of the question. The Crucible apparently was effective but she remembered how she had to activate it and she wasn't sure if she could replicate it. The Catalyst said it was created by the Leviathan as a means to keep the organic life cycles in check. _Is it possible there are other Catalysts?_ Shepard thought to herself. If there was another Citadel-like station in this galaxy, then there was a possibility of multiple Catalysts. However, the one she spoke with and activated nearly killed her in the process. Was it even possible to do that again with another Crucible?

Shepard shook the thoughts from her mind. She needed a quiet place to think everything out and inside a trans-car was not the place for that.

"So where are we headed now?" Shepard decided to ask.

"We're heading towards the Carosa Main Labs now. There are a few people there I think you should meet there and we'll also get to see my greenhouse," Genie smiled.

"_It's not your greenhouse, Genie. It's the Lab's," _Ba'el rebuked.

"They use it for science experiments. I use it to stay alive. I think it's safe to call it mine," she chided back.

Ba'el shook his head in disbelief, then he turned to Shepard, "_The scientists and technicians there will also go over important information and tech we'll use on the trip."_

A few minutes later, they arrived at Carosa Laboratories. The building was enormous, almost comparable to the Diet building; however, the laboratory was more modern looking than the archaic Diet. Genie parked the trans-car and the three of them walked through the main entrance. Almost immediately, they were approached by an Andona. This one in particular looked slightly thinner and curvier than the ones Shepard already seen.

"Hello Commander Shepard. My name is Dr. Ka'ray. I was one of the people who rescued you from the Citadel. I wasn't expecting to see you around here."

Shepard hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should respond or if Dr. Ka'ray would understand her, but Genie and Ba'el were there to interpret for her.

"Thanks for that, I appreciate it," she started. Genie stepped in and began simultaneously translating for her, "How many of you were on that mission?"

"There were seven of us," Ka'ray answered back, "I was in charge of your cybernetics and made sure they functioned properly. Whatever that weird red light did overloaded all your implants. Luckily, the cybernetics in your body aren't too ancient a technology, so I was able to boot them back up within a few minutes."

"So cybernetic technology is pretty common place here?" Shepard asked.

Ka'ray nodded her head. "Indeed. We use them frequently in medical operations; however, I've never seen their use on such a scale as the ones in your body. Mostly we use cybernetics to replace parts of the body but yours seem to make up nearly half of your body. I'd almost classify you as an artificial intelligence if you didn't have your vital organs."

"Well, that's because I was brought back from the dead. The cybernetics were necessary to pull that off," Shepard said while Genie continued to translate.

The Andona gasped. "You were already dead? Who in the world would want to bring you back to life? It's such a dangerous and unethical call to make. No one here would ever think to play god like that."

"It wasn't my decision to make. A splinter organization who thought it was necessary to bring me back from the dead did. Sometimes I wish they didn't but I know without me, we wouldn't have stood any chance against the Reapers," Shepard blandly replied. She didn't enjoy her time with Cerberus but she knew their resources were necessary to take down the Collectors. She didn't regret the temporary association but she sure didn't like it one bit.

"Interesting. I would be interested in learning more about you but I have a few medical tests I need to run for some patients. Since I saw you, I thought it would be a good idea to stop and introduce myself. It was nice to meet you in a conscious state, Commander. If you ever need any help, just let me know."

Shepard thanked Ka'ray again and she, Genie, and Ba'el headed to the tech labs. Before they entered the tech sector, a Tundsali scientist approached Genie and whispered something into her ear. Genie's face went pale.

"Damn it!" she yelled at him, "How could you let it happen again?" She turned to Shepard and Ba'el, "I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to leave you two to continue on your own. The _iik_ got out again and are destroying my orange trees. I'll meet up with you two later when I've gotten the situation under control." Genie ran off with the scientist, leaving Shepard and Ba'el to go deeper into the labs.

The two entered the tech lab doors and were greeted by a Milrana who introduced himself as Victrol.

"Ba'el, Commander Shepard, welcome to the tech labs. I'm so glad you came in today. I heard the Diet discussions went well. I'm sure the Representatives mentioned some of the technology you'll use on your trip to the Milky Way galaxy, so I'll explain them in further detail."

Victrol walked them over to a giant screen, calculations racing through it. The screen reached from the floor to the ceiling. A few rows of holographic computers sat in front of it, all chairs filled with technicians running simulations.

"Let me begin this tour by explaining the comm buoy and transporter waves that will be emitted from the exploration ship you'll take. Our research has dictated that five links between our transporters and your mass relays are necessary to establish effecting communication and travel links. We've already tested this theory out with a neighboring galaxy known as the Trebo galaxy. The link was established only a decade ago, so this is still fairly new for us as it is for them. Our connections with them have informed us of the Harvester threat in their galaxy and they are currently battling them there. Unfortunately, they are not having a lot of luck, which is why it is vital for us to establish communications with your galaxy, since you've successfully eradicated the Harvesters from your sector."

Shepard crossed her arms and leaned her body back. This was her usual stance when she knew she'd be in for a long discussion. "Ok, so if I establish these links between our galaxies, how the hell is the Crucible going to be useful? It took hundreds of thousands of resources, some of which don't exist here, to build it. How exactly are you going to pull that off?" Ba'el took over as the translator between her and Victrol. She couldn't hear what Ba'el was saying and assumed he directly spoke to Victrol. Victrol didn't seem to have a problem with this set up and continued without delay.

"Excellent question, Commander," Victrol replied, "It seems like the Trebo galaxy is rich in element zero like the Milky Way. I have a theory that every other galaxy out there, Shades knows how many exist in the universe, alternates with ununoctium and element zero as a prominent element. Ergo, every galaxy is interconnected. It's now just a matter of making contact with them all, given their dominate species have achieved space travel, but I digress."

Victrol beckoned Shepard and Ba'el over to an observatory into a large computer lab. Dozens of Andona, Milrana, and Tundsal were speedily working on computations and calibrations. Victrol continued, "One of that weapon you call the Crucible is powerful enough to expel the Harvesters from an entire galaxy. Imagine if we had two or even three! The plan is to build them with the combined resources from the Inar and Milky Way galaxies; we'll be lucky if we get anything from Trebo. If I recall correctly, there are two essential pieces to this weapon. I'm sure the Diet already told you we have a similar space station near a Tundsali colony. It shouldn't be any problem to move it."

Shepard threw her hand up, pausing Victrol's commentary, "Wait, why move it? Wouldn't it be easier to bring the Crucible to it instead the other way around?"

Victrol's eyes widened and his nose twitched in bemusement, "The Diet didn't tell you? We plan on activating the weapons in Dark Space; hit the Reapers in their own territory."

Shepard was initially shocked by his answer but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. No one knew how big Dark Space was but with multiple activated Crucibles, the area of effect would be capacious.

"That's a crazy plan you have there, Victrol, but it may work. I guess the worst that can happen is we all die at the hands of the Reapers, or Harvesters as everyone here calls them," Shepard quipped.

"_This is a serious situation, Shepard. I'm not sure if joking about it is beneficial." _Ba'el cautioned.

"Sorry, it's a human idiosyncrasy. We tend to laugh when we're nervous or afraid about a situation," Shepard apologized.

"_So you're afraid?_"

Shepard looked down. Images of husks, cannibals, marauders, and banshees flashed through her mind. She remembered the lurid scene of countless bodies she encountered when she beamed onto the Citadel. The smell of rotten flesh and iron seeped back into her senses.

She snapped herself back to the present.

"Yeah, I'm scared," she admitted, "but that fear is what drives me. As much as it pains me to know the Reapers are still lurking around, I'll fight until every last one is obliterated from Dark Space. I owe everyone I've fought for that much."

"That's very admirable, Commander," Victrol said, "I'm sure I speak for everyone here that your help is greatly appreciated. We hope that our galaxies can work together to eradicate the Harvesters. It must be a great burden on you, I bet."

Ba'el nodded in agreement, "_You must be incredibly strong willed._"

"People have told me that but I'd have to disagree. I'm only human, not a damned god." Shepard knew she beat the impossible on multiple occasions before but she knew her limits. The Reaper war was a major toll on her physical and mental state. Her recurrent nightmares and the weariness of her body when she moved were evidence enough. If she could do it once, she was sure she could do it again, much to the displeasure of her body and mind.

"Shall we continue with our tour?" Victrol suggested after a few seconds of awkward silence. The rodent-like man led Shepard and Ba'el out of the computer lab and down a long, white hallway. In the distance, Shepard could hear gun shots.

"We'll head to the shooting range next. I think this new weapon ammo we've been working on will interest you, Shepard."

The shooting range didn't look too different from the ranges Shepard had been to. The baffles were placed in staggering angles along the ceiling, creating a dome shape. There were six stations set up but only half were occupied. One was Andona and the other two were Tundsal. One of the Tundsal finished their pistol clip as they walked further into the room. The reptile set down her gun and met them.

"Hello, I'm Yula, the Range Safety Officer here. You must me Commander Shepard," she extended her claws towards her. Shepard met her gesture with her hand, giving Yula a firm hand shake.

"Nice to meet you, Yula. What have you been working on here?"

Yula grinned, "I'm glad you asked. Those stubborn Andona explorers finally gathered enough element zero samples from your galaxy and from Trebo to allow the scientists here to develop new weapon ammo for our guns. I have to say, these bullets are quite effective."

"So you've developed ammo full of eezo?"

"Is that what you all call this stuff? Hmm," Yula thought aloud, "Yeah. Initial studies found out this eezo stuff can be lethal to Harock. Someone tested its effect on some Harock carcasses found out near the Fringe. Found out it rips apart their translucent little bodies!"

"_The only thing is the same applies to us._" Ba'el added.

"That's pretty dangerous. Is it really worth the risk when the ammo could harm its Andona users?" Shepard inquired.

"Pfft! It's well worth the risk if it gives us other species a fighting chance against the Harock," Yula blurt out, "Our species was nearly wiped out during the Inar War because we couldn't defend ourselves from the Harock. Now, the tables have turned."

"Still, element zero is impossible to find here," Victrol interjected, "So I'm hoping when you return to the Milky Way, Shepard, you could send some here for processing. A gram of eezo makes quite a bit of ammo. We could have enough to supply an entire army for months with just one shipment. Think about what a steady supply could make!"

Shepard sighed knowing this was a tall order for her, "That's not really my call to make but I'll try to get you the eezo. I'm sure this would turn into a matter of intergalactic commerce. I have to figure out if the Council would be willing to set up economic trades with you all. It may take a while to send you the shipments, provided I can establish some sort of relation."

Victrol gave Shepard an acknowledging gesture with his body, "Whatever works best for you works best for me. I'll leave it to the Balrona to work out the economical details since that's their specialty. I'm only worried about getting the shipments to my men for processing. Now, let's move on. I've got one more thing to show you. Well, it's mostly for Ba'el but I'm sure you'll want to see it too."

Another long corridor led them to another laboratory. _Damn, how large is this place?_ Shepard thought to herself. The lab wasn't much different from the first one she and Ba'el entered. Computers and scientists littered the room.

Victrol led the two over to a table towards the middle of the room. He motioned the two to gather around it.

"We've been working on this baby for months now and I think it's time to give it a test drive," Victrol said while pointing to a small device. It looked and was about the size of a watch, "This is a cloaking devise. Why don't you put it on, Ba'el?" Victrol suggested.

The Andona hesitated for a moment then placed the band around his wrist. "_Exactly why would I need a cloak, Victrol?_" he asked.

"Well, I don't think the species in the Commander's galaxy will take to well to a walking hunk of blue mass. It may frighten them. This cloak will allow you to take any form you can think of, literally. It reads the neural signals from your head and replicates whatever image you wish to portray. It also works as a tactical cloak so you can render yourself invisible. We've put it through a few tests and it functions with optimum results. I don't think you should have any problem with it. Why don't you give it a try?"

Ba'el brought up the holo-screen on the device and studied it, looking over all its features. After a few minutes, the device made a beep and the Andona that stood in front of Shepard morphed into a human.

Ba'el chose a male. His skin was tanned and his hair was freshly cropped and dirty blonde in color. His eyes were deep and brown and his sartorial appearance was reminiscent of the 20th century, probably something he picked up from Genie's own style.

"_So, how do I look, Shepard?_" Ba'el's lips were unmoving.

Shepard grinned, "With looks like that, you'll have all the human girls crawling all over you. Better watch yourself there, Ba'el. However, you may want to try moving your lips when you speak. It'll look odd to everyone otherwise."

"_Like this?"_ Ba'el's lips moved, matching the words he spoke. Shepard nodded. "_So this appears to be a physically attractive form as a human male?_"

"Yeah. I'd think you were human if I didn't know you were actually a different species."

"_Good. I will preset this into the device,_" Ba'el punched in a few codes into the machine.

"Why don't you wear that skin around for a while, Ba'el? You know, just to get used to it. I'm sure Genie would love to see you like that," Victrol suggested.

"_That sounds like a good idea. Thank you, Victrol. Is there anything else you wanted to show us or does that conclude our meeting for today?_"

"Nope, that'll be all," Victrol turned to Shepard and offered his hand, "It was a pleasure to meet you Commander. I and everyone else here at Carosa Labs are thankful for your help and support. If you ever need anything from us during your travels, please let me know. We'd be glad to assist you in any way."

Shepard accepted his hand and shook it, "Thanks for everything, Victrol. I'll be sure to contact you if anything pops up."

"_Shall we head off to the greenhouse, Shepard?_" Ba'el suggested.

Victrol showed them back out to the main entrance to the tech labs where Genie departed from Shepard and Ba'el. From there, Ba'el led Shepard down the hallway, and after a few corners they arrived at a massive domed building made entirely of glass panes. The size of the structure was unlike anything Shepard had seen before. It had to be at least the size of five biotiball stadiums. Inside there were countless amounts of plant species. Trees lined the sides of the building while the middle consisted of less bulky crops and smaller plants. There were also rooms within the structure, probably with more climate sensitive plants within.

When she entered the main part of the greenhouse, she was hit with a blast of heat and humidity. She hadn't been in this type of climate for a while and she found herself wiping sweat off her brow constantly as she and Ba'el made their way towards the far left side of the conservatory. A few minutes passed while they coiled in and out of a maze of florae. Shepard was already lost but Ba'el seemed to know exactly where he was going. Eventually, they came across Genie, who had her back turned to them. She was typing something into a datapad.

"_Hello Genie. Did you get the iik problem under control?" _Ba'el asked.

Genie's back straightened to attention and turned around. When her eyes fell on Ba'el, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly. Instead of responding to his question she whispered, "Jeremy?"

"_Pardon?"_

"I uh…wow! Ba'el, is that you? You look amazing, like a real human!" Genie deflected his question.

"_I'm glad to know this appearance looks human enough. It's a cloak Victrol gave me in order to blend in more seamlessly when we go to the Milky Way,_" Ba'el smiled. It was odd but comforting for Shepard to finally see an honest expression on the Andona's face. She was certain he would fit into human society just fine.

"That was very smart of him," Genie said then quipped, "So are you two just going to stand there or are you going to help me harvest these crops we'll need for food supplies?"

"Will there be enough food for the entire trip?" Shepard asked.

"Of course! We have a week until we leave, so there's plenty of time to gather up everything and store it in proper containers. Thank goodness the preservation technologies here are terrific, or we'd be dealing with rotten food supplies. So Shepard, what's your favorite kind of food, crop wise? I'll make sure we have enough harvested for the trip."

Shepard thought back to her family's farm back on Mindoir. Her parents grew pears as a means of living. She remembered the hot and sultry summer days she and her father would go out and pick the pears. The trees' flowers were already in full bloom and the white blossoms decorated every branch. As a small child, she tried to resist the temptation to not eat every pear she picked and she remembered how her father would jokingly scold her for doing it anyways. By the end of the day, they would sit underneath one of the trees, backs against the trunk, eat their harvest, and talk.

"Pears, if you have them," Shepard replied.

"Yeah, I've got a few pear trees here. They're on the other side of the greenhouse though."

Shepard took another look around the greenhouse. The amount of plants still dumbfounded her, "How did the Andona get all these human plants here anyways? I'm sure these aren't native here and aren't some knockoff either," Shepard wondered.

"Remember when I told you the Andona were collecting samples from Earth as part of their research? The time I was taken? They gathered a huge amount of plants and seeds from Earth and planted them here in the greenhouse. After finding out I can't eat the food the other species here eat, I worked with the scientists here and made sure the plant and seed samples survived and flourished," Genie gingerly stroked one of the leaves of the plant next to her, "I'm quite attached to these plants. They're like my children."

"What do you mean you couldn't eat the food here?" Shepard asked.

"All the species I've encountered here are all based on dextro-amino acids while I am levo-amino based. The first allergic reaction was enough for me to not try eating any Milrana cuisine. The second one made me hate Tundsali food and finally the third one sent me to the hospital. That's when I learned I couldn't eat the food," Genie laughed.

"Well, you'll be glad to know that most species back home are levo based. Only the turians and quarians are dextro based," Shepard replied.

"That's good to hear," Genie returned with a smile, "Now let's start making a list of what we'll need. Ba'el, will you go talk to Karol about preservation crates? We'll need quite a bit for this journey."


	7. Chapter 7 - Khar'shan

Garrus sat in front of his personal terminal inside his private cabin. The _Havincaw's_ captain quarters weren't as extravagant as the _Normandy's_ but they were sufficient. The room only contained a desk, bed, and a small bathroom. No couch and no fancy fish tank. Garrus was actually glad there wasn't a fish tank. He didn't see the point to keeping pets. He remembered how many times Shepard killed her fish because she forgot to feed them but then she got the VI to do the job for her.

Then he looked over to the other side of his desk and realized the irony in his thoughts. Shepard's space hamster was curled up inside his little house, sleeping the day away. Garrus figured the fish were expendable but her precious hamster, oh that damned hamster, nearly meant more to her than he did. He could have left it to its own fate on the _Normandy_ but Garrus knew better than that. Shepard would have his head if anything happened to her "little guy."

Garrus' thoughts eventually wandered to the mission ahead of him. Officially, the _Havincaw_ was to rendezvous with the _Normandy_ and perform a joint medical relief mission in the Kite's Nest and drop off medical supplies on Anhur. However, it was the meeting with Kaiden Garrus anticipated the most. Kaiden had info on Shepard's whereabouts and this was Garrus' actual top priority.

_ETA to Khar'shan in one hour, Captain, _his helmsman, Sanctus Lenten, came in over the comm.

"Thank you," Garrus simply replied.

He got up from his desk and stretched out his cramped muscles. Turian standard furniture was not comfortable, no matter how ergonomic they made it.

With the remaining time, he figured it would be a good time to make his crew rounds. It was something he picked up from Shepard's command and he wanted to try it out once he had command of his own ship. The crew was taken aback when he first implemented it but they grew to expect it and sometimes the crew enjoyed the conversations they had with their captain. Garrus also noticed increased crew camaraderie after a few months of using the tactic.

Garrus took the elevator down from his quarters and pressed the button for the CIC. He figured he had enough time to talk with his newly appointed crewmates and his first stop would be with navigator, Acanthus Cinna.

The elevator stopped and beeped once before the door opened, revealing the CIC. Its setup wasn't different from the _Normandy_ SR1's. Her CIC was strictly based off of turian design, so the look and atmosphere of the _Havincaw_ was familiar to him.

Acanthus was stationed to the left of the galaxy map, typing away at something on his consol. He noticed Garrus approach him and swiftly stood at attention and gave him a salute.

"Sir."

"At ease, Cinna," Garrus returned the salute, "How are you adjusting to the ship and the crew? They treating you alright?"

"Yes, sir, they are. It's an honor to be able to serve under you. I was actually surprised I got this assignment. You're one of the top generals in the Hierarchy and…," Acanthus' voice trailed off.

"You're too modest, Navigator. I'm flattered," Garrus laughed, "Anyways, welcome aboard. Be sure to give Lenten the right docking orders when we make our final approach on Khar'shan."

"Aye-aye, captain," Acanthus saluted again.

Garrus' next stop was in the cargo bay where Flora Domitilla took up residence. She was in the process of checking and cleaning her equipment, so Garrus decided not to bother her.

Next he headed to engineering to check in on Ovid Milo. Garrus received a status report on the ship's engines, which were working at optimal capacity. He also got a status report on the ship guns. Though the report showed the guns were at 97% efficiency, Garrus urged the young engineer to try calibrating it and extra 2%. The engineer eagerly agreed and continued on with his work.

Lastly, Garrus made his way up to the med bay to check in on his sister. The doors swooshed open then Garrus heard a "Captain on deck," from one of the doctors. Everyone in the room turned towards him and stood at attention, his sister included. She was always informal with him but she wasn't stupid. She knew the social norms on a turian ship, regardless if it was her brother captaining it or not. In all honesty, Garrus hated the strictness of how turian ships ran. However, it was easier to "go with the flow," as humans would say instead of trying to change the way everyone thought and acted. His crew rounds were already awkward enough, no need to force everyone to be more laid-back.

"At ease," Garrus ordered and everyone went back to their work, except Solana. She approached her brother.

"Hey Garrus. Here to check up on me? I heard from some of the others you go around and do this from time to time. What's up?"

"Yeah, just checking and seeing how you're settling in. How's life in the med bay?"

Solana's mandibles widened into a smile, "It's great down here! There's a lot of machinery and supplies here than most other ships I've served on don't have. It'll be a great place to work on my research when I have downtime."

Garrus knew exactly what Solana meant by "research." Ever since their mother was diagnosed with Corpalis Syndrome Sol dedicated her life to finding a cure. She was still young and not quite old enough to join the military when their mother became sick. Garrus remembered how Sol would lock herself in her room with medical books and would only come out to take care of mom or to briefly eat something.

When she turned fifteen, she decided to focus on becoming a field medic, since it would easily guarantee her training at Cipritine Medical University. She exceled in all her classes and graduated at the top of her class in less than two years. Since her studies at the school weren't considered military service, she then spent her mandatory time serving. She told him once via vid comm that every ship in the Hierarchy wanted her and the issue had to be sent directly to Fidorian to make the final assignment.

"I'm surprised you decided to stay with the military after the war, Sol. I would have thought you'd hide away in some lab," Garrus commented.

Solana leaned against the wall, "I found that doing research on my own time, on my own terms, works out better in the long run. I can't allow myself to be blocked by scientific red tape with my studies. Sometimes the work I do is considered unethical by others. I'm not experimenting on other people mind you; my methods are just a bit more reckless. I've had a lot of chemical explosions happen in the military labs trying out different simulations. I think I've been banned from half of them."

"Why not run them through a program first?" Garrus suggested.

"Because the calculations the computer puts out s is different from when I physically do it myself. I find those results more reliable. Don't worry, Garrus, there won't be any explosions coming from this lab. That hasn't happened to me in seven months."

"How reassuring," Garrus mocked.

_Captain, we're making our final approach on Khar'shan, _Sanctus came over the comm again.

"Thanks. I'll be right there," Garrus said, "Well, Sol, looks like duty calls. This mission should go without a hitch as long as you and your team have those medical supplies ready to go."

"We're ready for the drop off. The crates are in the cargo bay now. When you give the order, we'll load them off the ship," Solana said, giving her brother a salute. Garrus gave a salute in return. He exited the med bay and made his way to the cock pit.

When he finally arrived, he asked Sanctus if Acanthus gave him the docking coordinates, which he did. He said they would be docked a few bays down from the _Normandy_.

_Perfect. Now it's time to get down to business_, Garrus thought.

"Good. Take her in easy, Lenten. When we dock, I'll head over to the _Normandy_ and speak with her captain. Be sure to fuel up while we're here. When I return, we'll be ready to head out," Garrus commanded.

"Aye-aye, captain." Sanctus Lenten replied.

The _Havincaw_ made its final docking procedures and Garrus moved out into the shambled docking bay by himself. A look at the docking board just outside the airlock told him the _Normandy_ was at Docking Bay 5.

As Garrus made his way over, he received many strange and insulting looks from the Batarians. They still showed animosity towards the Council races and some of their hate was warranted. The Batarians were nearly extinct by the end of the Reaper War but enough remained alive to start rebuilding their homeworld. They initially refused galactic help when the war ended and it wasn't until recently they accepted that help. They were still suffering and Garrus was glad they were able to swallow their pride. Every race needed to work together to make this galaxy function again. Old grudges needed to be put in the past and everyone had to move forward.

The docking port, confirming Garrus' assumptions, was in dire need of repair. The Batarians already fix a good portion of it but it was barely standing and functional. They didn't have the resources to properly fix these structures. It was hard for Garrus to see the Batarians like this, no matter how much of an ass they were to him. No race should ever have to go through these hardships alone.

Before he knew it, Garrus arrived at Docking Bay 5. The first thing that caught his eye was the _Normandy_ and all her glory. She was still as majestic as ever. Some of Garrus' best memories were aboard that ship. A jolt of remorse hit his body, realizing he probably would never get to serve under her name again. He moved on and had his own ship now. The glory days of the _Normandy_ were past him.

The second thing he noticed was a human decked out in blue Alliance armor. He was no one other than the human biotic, Kaidan Alenko. Garrus was glad to see Kaidan again. The jealousy the biotic once had towards Garrus finally subsided and the two were finally able to form a civil friendship. He knew Kaidan still cared about Shepard but it more out of a brotherly love more than anything now.

"Garrus! It's glad to see you again. How's everything back home?" Kaidan approached, giving Garrus a firm, welcoming handshake.

"It's been a long time, Kaidan. Everything is going well back on Palaven. Rebuilding efforts have been successful and we've been running relief missions to other races in the galaxy. How's Earth doing?" Garrus hadn't seen Earth since he left the _Normandy_.

"Rebuilding has been going well. Most of the larger cities, like London and New York, are still rubble but a lot of the smaller cities and towns look like they were never touched by the Reapers. It's shocking to see how unified a race can be after a war. People are saying that this kind of unity hasn't been seen since World War II during the 20th."

"It's good to see Earth is faring well," Garrus earnestly smiled, "I hate to cut the pleasantries short but I wanted to discuss that message you sent me the other day."

"Of course. Let's board the _Normandy_. We'll be able to discuss this more privately there."

Chilling shivers ran down Garrus' spine. This would be the first time he was back on the _Normandy_ after such a long time.

Not much changed aboard the ship. Garrus was glad that Joker still piloted the ship. The two exchanged greetings and Joker admittedly expressed that he was glad to see the turian again. The CIC was still the same dark and dingy room it was when they fought the Reapers. Garrus liked the lighter interior of the Cerberus SR2 than this but he was glad the Cerberus days were put behind him.

Garrus didn't recognize most of the human crew that bumbled about the CIC; however, he noticed Specialist Traynor was not at her usual post. In fact, it was empty. Kaidan and Garrus then entered the elevator and Kaidan punched the button for the crew deck.

"Why not go to your cabin, Kaiden?" Garrus asked.

"We are going there," he dryly replied.

Garrus gave him a questioning look before asking, "You're sleeping on the crew deck?" What happened to the captain's cabin?"

"It's still there. It's just," Kaidan hesitated, "Even though this ship is under my command, I still consider it to be Shepard's. It just doesn't feel right for me to take over her quarters, so I've taken the XO's room. XO Bradley agreed with the situation and he's taken the starboard observation deck as his private quarters instead. He said he enjoyed the view better."

With Kaidan's last words, the elevator finally reached its destination. As they walked over to Kaidan's cabin, Garrus glanced over to the med bay. He was glad to see Dr. Chakwas was still aboard. She sat at her desk and looked busy. Garrus would have to pop in to see her afterwards.

Kaidan's cabin changed drastically from when Liara commandeered it as the Shadow Broker. The walls were no longer littered with giant screens, though Garrus did notice Kaidan kept one. He probably used it as a television screen. All the machinery was gone, leaving the room bare. He obviously hadn't found anything to fill in the emptiness.

Kaidan beckoned Garrus to take a seat on the couch and asked him if he wanted anything to drink. He asked for water.

Kaiden didn't join him on the couch. Instead, he opted to sit on the corner of his bed, opposite of Garrus. Kaidan pulled up his omni-tool and punched a few buttons on it. A second later, he projected an email he received for Garrus to read.

_Spectre,_

_We have your precious Commander Shepard. She's not in any danger…yet. However, she will be if you do not answer to our demands. All we ask is for a modest ransom of 50 billion credits and she's yours. Sounds simple enough, right? _

_Be sure to have the money stored safely on a credit chit and deliver it to our agent on Illium. He will approach you when you arrive. You have 16 solar days to fulfill this request. If you don't, well, I'd rather just send you a picture of what happens when you don't cooperate._

Garrus' blood boiled while he read the mail. If _anyone_ hurt Shepard, there would be hell to pay. He would make sure their suffering was long and excruciating. Their captivity of her was enough to deserve a head shot from his Black Widow then tossing their bodies out of the nearest airlock.

"Do you know who sent it?" Garrus seethed.

"I have a pretty good idea. Remember that CAT6 incident on the Citadel?"

How could he forget that? Shepard's clone nearly killed her and took off with the _Normandy_. Luckily they were able to kill her and her sneaky assistant, Maya Brooks, or whatever her real name was.

"I think they're behind this," Kaidan continued, "Ever since the end of the war, they've been nothing but trouble for the Alliance as well for the Council. Shepard took out Cerberus and CAT6 filled the power vacuum. They've been trying to undo everything Shepard did. They've made it clear the genophage cure was a mistake and made countless attempts to destroy the Shroud. Fortunately they haven't been able to get past the small krogan army that guards it. They've also outwardly attacked the Migrant Fleet and Rannoch, trying to stop them from reactivating the geth. The list goes on and on. They still fly under the banner of 'destroying the cult of Shepard' thing. Haven't you heard of their recent exploits?"

Garrus shook his head, "No I haven't. Sadly, I've been sucked into Hierarchy business and haven't heard anything from them on the matter."

"Hmm. I guess they haven't made their beef with the turians yet. I'm sure it'll happen soon. Even the salarians are getting hounded by these guys."

Garrus leaned forward and set his elbows on his legs and clasped his hands together, "So what about the ransom? How long has it been since you got the message? You're not going to pay it, are you?"

Kaidan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "It's been six days already. Once I got the message, I sent it to Liara and when she replied, I sent you a message. I'm so glad she's on our side, because the miracle worker pinpointed a location for the email. She was positive the email didn't come through scrambled communications, so she's sure this place is a base of operations. It's out in the Terminus systems. On Garvug to be exact."

"Seems like sloppy work. You'd think they'd mask their location better, especially on a former krogan colony world."

"Or, they purposefully exposed it to me. I think this Illium thing is a ploy. They wanted me to find them and then they think they can take me out in one shot. Get rid of the human Spectre and hurt the Alliance and Council in the process. Two birds with one stone."

"Except they're going to fail," Garrus responded, "Because you're not going in alone. You'll have the best sniper in the galaxy covering your six."

"Not only that, I'll have quarian mechanist and one of N7's best new operatives working with me too," Kaidan smiled.

"You're kidding!" Garrus was taken aback.

"Nope. I messaged Tali and James right after I messaged you to see if they were interested. It didn't take long for either to reply. I figured since I would see you the next day I'd brief you in person. I hope you understand that."

"I understand. I'm actually glad you did. It's nice to be back on the _Normandy_ again."

"Get used to it, Vakarian. You'll be back on board soon," Kaidan confirmed.

Garrus was glad he would be back on the_ Normandy_ again. It would be just like old times. There was one concern he had with the plan though.

"What about my ship and crew, Kaidan? I can't just abandon them."

"Don't worry about that. I talked with Primarch Victus about it and he gave his permission. It's one of the perks of being a Spectre," he shrugged, "You'll need to return to Palaven after we finish this other mission though. From there, your ship will be reassigned a new captain and you'll be free to join me."

"I really wish Victus told me directly though," Garrus said, slightly upset at the deception.

"The surprise wouldn't be as extravagant if he told you. Plus, I need you to be on this mission. It doesn't move forward until you're back on board this ship, so let's drop off these medical supplies to Anhur and get moving. The more time we waste here talking, the more time we lose to infiltrate the CAT6 base."

"You're right," Garrus agreed, "But before I leave, mind if I roam around the ship, to drop in and say hi to some of the crew?"

"Sure, but don't waste too much time. We still have to pick up James and Tali before heading to Garvug. Those trips in total will take a few days. I'll grab James from Earth and then head to Palaven next to grab you. Then we'll head to Rannoch, pick up Tali, and then head out to the Vallhallan Threshold," Kaidan laid out his plan, "We're going to murder these bastards for what they've done."

"Show them no mercy," Garrus concurred.

Kaidan led Garrus out of his cabin and left him to his own devices. Kaidan went to finish preparations for the medical drop. Garrus first went to the med bay to say hello to Dr. Chakwas. She was elated to see he was in good health and doing well and Garrus was glad the doctor was doing well herself. They talked about the good old days for a while before Chakwas mentioned she needed to get back to work. Garrus left her to her and thought he would check the Thanix cannon in the Main Battery before heading back to the _Havincaw_. He was sure someone messed with his calibrations and wanted to know how much time he'd have to invest to fix it.

When the battery door opened, the first thing Garrus notices was a flashing on the terminal. He walked over to it to investigate it. When he turned the screen on, a message popped up. It was all jumbled though.

6 rr)s,

!^ /*)'r3 r3 d!Ɯ6 #&!ş, #&3Ɯ !'% l!-3. !'% Ɯ*# !Ɯ 1l (3 ~!#&!Ɯ /*)r r3 (& #&*)6&, s* 1l3 s3 d*Ɯ'# #r/ Ɯd ^!Ɯd %3. !'ll (*%3 ^!Ɯd /*). ! d*Ɯ'# 9Ɯ*~ &*~ l*Ɯ6 !#'ll # 93, 8)# ! ~!ll (*%3 8 (9 #* /*). /*) 83##3r Ɯ*# 83 ~ !#!n6 ^*r %3 # #&3 8 r. ! s#!ll 1l Ɯ #* % 93 6**d *Ɯ #& # !d3 /*) & d 83^*r3 ~3 % d3 #&3 ^!Ɯ l 9)s& !Ɯ l*Ɯd*Ɯ, s*9l3 s3 d*Ɯ'# d* Ɯ/#&!Ɯ6 s#)1!d l!93 /*) d!d l s# #!%3 ! ~ s 6*Ɯ3 ^*r #&!s l*Ɯ6. ! l*-3 /*), 6 rr)s. !'ll s3Ɯd /*) Ɯ*#&3r %3ss 63 ~&3Ɯ ! ( Ɯ .

S&31 rd

It hurt his head to look at the mixture of letters, numbers and symbols but he studied the first and last word in more detail.

The placement of the letters amongst the numbers looked oddly familiar. Then it hit him. The first word was his name and the last was...

_Shepard _

It had to be. The correlation couldn't be pure coincidence. Garrus immediately opened up the cracking device on his omni-tool and input the coded message. The program should have decrypted the message instantly but it took it about ten minutes. Those ten minutes seemed like ten hours to Garrus. The wait was excruciating. The program dinged when the decryption was complete and Garrus hurriedly opened up the file.

_Garrus,_

_If you're reading this, then I'm alive. I'm not in a place within your reach though, so please don't try and find me. I'll come find you. I don't know how long it'll take, but I will come back to you. You better not be waiting for me at the bar. I still plan to make good on that idea you had before we made the final push in London, so please don't do anything stupid like you did last time I was gone for this long. I love you, Garrus. I'll send you another message when I can._

_Shepard_

Garrus was lucky he was in the main battery alone because he keened at reading the message, relief engulfing his body. She was still alive. The time stamp for the message was a few months ago, which was enough evidence for Garrus to know she survived the Citadel explosion. He noticed the vagueness of the message and relief was quickly replaced with fear. If she sent this from the CAT6 base, then she really was in trouble. Her advice about her finding him was simply ludicrous. Sometimes she could be stubborn and this was one of those times. She needed his help.

He finally recomposed himself and went to find Kaidan. He would want to see this. He found the biotic in the cock pit with Joker, going over mission details. The clanking of a hurried turian was enough to make Kaidan and Joker turn around.

"What the hell's your problem, Garrus? You've never run through the _Normandy _like that before," Joker wisecracked.

Garrus ignored Joker's comment, "Kaidan, look at this. It was on the main battery terminal." He pulled up his omni-tool and showed the message.

Kaidan took a step back after finishing the message, "This changes the game plan entirely. We still need to gather the crew before going the Garvug though, which means we need to hurry and get these damned medical supplies dropped off."

Garrus nodded in agreement and without another word, ran off the _Normandy_ and back to the _Havincaw_.

Upon his return to his ship, Garrus began to bark orders to his crew. They were to get in and get out. No missteps. Sanctus established his radio connections with Joker and the two frigates were ready for departure.

**A/N: We all know where Shepard is but Garrus and Kaidan don't know that! So what's CAT6 up to? That won't be answered for a few chapters, but we're close to Shepard and Garrus' reunion! Next chapter we will bounce back to Shepard's POV and the voyage to the Milky Way. **

**Please leave any reviews, comments, and critiques. I'd love to know what you think of the story so far.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Coming Home

**A/N: Sorry this chapter came later than normal. Sometimes life likes to come in and sweep you away, but I'm back. Hopefully a longer chapter will make up for my absence. This chapter is a time lapse, so the topics will jump from day to day. Some are more serious than others and a I'll place a warning on slight language use. Please R&R and see you next update._  
_**

_T-minus 1 day_

Tomorrow was when Genie, Ba'el, and Shepard were going to leave Malyona and return to Shepard's home galaxy. The three of them spent the majority of the week prior preparing for the trip. Genie and Shepard were able to harvest enough food rations from the conservatory for the two and a half month trip while Ba'el familiarized himself with the ship's controls after volunteering to pilot her.

All that was left was gathering what personal possessions they wanted to bring on the journey. The only thing Shepard wanted to bring with her was her recovered and tattered armor and with Genie's help, she had it stored on the ship. Ba'el mentioned he was only bringing his guns, so he was a light load too. Genie was packing the most, which was understandable. Genie and Shepard talked with each while Genie packed her array of clothes when Shepard noticed a picture of Genie with another girl sitting on her bedside. Out of curiosity, Shepard picked up the picture to examine it.

"That's me and my older sister, Andrea," Genie said when she noticed Shepard's interest in the photo. She sighed and continued, "I miss her every damn day. We were best friends."

"It must have been hard to leave her when you were taken by the Andona."

Genie's gaze wandered to the floor and her voice became barely audible, "She died a few months before my abduction; murdered, actually. Then I found myself running away from her murderer when the Andona showed up and…," she didn't finish her sentence and tears began to well up in her eyes.

Shepard wasn't the best at consoling people but she found herself instinctively moving towards the crying girl and wrapped her in her embrace. Shepard understood what it felt like to lose family to murders. Hers were taken by batarian slavers when she lived on Mindoir. She knew the pain and sorrow associated with an ordeal like that.

When Genie finally quelled her tears, she continued from where she left off, "I always thought deus ex machine was a load of crap growing up but I guess it really exists." She gave a light chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

"_The impossible is always possible_, my mom always said," Shepard quoted with a smile.

Genie returned a smile and continued to pack.

* * *

_The screech of the thresher maw pierced their ears._

_Out of an entire unit of Alliance Marines, only four of them were left: Barnett, Denver, Toombs, and herself. They were running from the monster for nearly 72 hours and they were beyond exhaustion. They were low on medi-gel and ammo and were running off of stim packs. Toombs finally got in contact with Alliance communications and they had established an LZ. The LZ was still ten klicks away and the thresher maw was hot on their tails._

_The team hid behind a boulder when the thresher maw emerged from the ground and took its offensive stance. Their cover was blown and they had to move. Toombs was in front, with Denver and herself not too far behind his six. Barnett brought up the rear, making sure the rest of the squad made it to safety. In an instant, she heard the whirling sound behind her then a splat. Barnett's screams impaled her head. She didn't dare to look behind her. _

_Toombs shifted left and the trailing two followed. She was glad he made that decision because another bomb of acid landed where she was just seconds ago. The maw dove back into the ground as the three soldiers found another boulder to catch their breath. _

"_Shit! We can't keep running like this. Toombs, we need that LZ closer!" Denver barked. With Barnett dead, he was the next commanding officer._

_Toombs fiddled with his omni-tool, "I'm trying! Communications are shot right now. I was lucky enough to get a message through for an air lift."_

_Shepard had a chance to look down at her shaking hands. Her stim pack was wearing off. She found the last one in her pocket and quickly injected it into her arm. That should get her to the LZ. _

"_Got it!" Toombs yelled, "They said they can make the lift four klicks from our position. Apparently there's a cave where we can defend our location until they arrive. The cave should just be over that ridge."_

"_Let's make a run for it. We're too exposed out here," Shepard suggested._

"_Agreed," Denver said. _

_The soldiers made a steady run towards the new LZ. They made sure to keep their pace quick but steady enough so they could conserve energy in case the thresher maw came in for another attack. _

_Luckily, they made it to the cave without incident. They took shelter and Toombs messaged for an ETA but never got a reply._

"_I'll go scope out this cave, make sure we don't have another creature in here trying to maul us," Toombs said, drawing his assault rifle._

_Denver and Shepard silently gestured a 'thanks' to their squad mate as he disappeared into the darkness. _

_Shepard wasn't sure how much time passed when she heard the engines of an aircraft. _About damn time, _she thought. Toombs still wasn't back from surveying the cavern. Denver called out to Toombs but only received Denver's echo. _

"_Damn it, Toombs. Where the hell are you?" Denver whispered under his breath._

_The shuttle craft landed about 50 meters from the mouth of the cave. There wasn't time to look for Toombs. They had to make a dash to the ship._

"_Shepard, you go first. I'll bring up the rear," Denver ordered. _

"_Affirmative," she replied, then sprinted towards the shuttle. About half way there, she felt the ground shake._

_The thresher maw was back._

_She put all her energy into running. She had to make it the ship before that monster surfaced. _

_Before she knew it, she hopped onto the ship. She turned around and saw Denver leaving the cave's mouth. He didn't make it a few meters before the thresher maw exposed itself right between him and the ship, facing towards her comrade. Denver turned on his heels and ran back towards the entrance. _

_The thresher maw was faster._

_In an instant, the maw crashed down upon Denver, dragging him under ground. _

"_Denver!" she screamed._

* * *

_T-minus 8 hours_

Cold sweat poured down Shepard's face. That was the first nightmare she had in weeks. _I guess it would be more like years_, she thought. It didn't seem like it was a year and a half since her last tribulation and she didn't remember dreaming anything in her comatose state.

Her dreams always haunted her since Cerberus brought her back from the grave. Most of the time they were distorted memories from her past, like the nightmare she just had. There were also times where her dreams were in some other realm. Those were the worst and they didn't start happening until after the Reapers attacked Earth. In her current state of mind, she couldn't help herself from remembering those horrid nightmares.

Shadowy and oily figures would surround her while they whispered in her ears. They blamed her for their fate, for allowing them to die. They dehumanized her with their malevolent words. She would try to run away from them, covering her ears so she couldn't hear them in her head. She knew every whisper in her dreams were from those who had died under her watch. They were Ashley, Thane, Mordin, Legion, the colonists from Freedom's Progress, the batarians from the Viper Nebula and every soul lost to the Reapers.

Waking up from those lurid dreams nearly drove her into madness but she had to force herself into composure for the sake of completing her mission, not for her sanity. The addition of the hauntings from her past didn't help her stability.

She always tried to hide the fact that her dreams ate away at her, even from Garrus. Early on, he saw right through her defenses. She felt ashamed to be around him. She felt weak because she couldn't get herself together and thought he wouldn't want to be with someone who was so frail. She was the almighty Commander Shepard. She wasn't allowed falter, not even emotionally. Garrus, on the other hand, didn't take any of that crap from her and was nothing but supportive. He understood the psychological toll the war had on her and was there to comfort her when she needed it. When she jolted awake from a nightmare he would always be there, holding her in his embrace. The warmth of his body and the soft strokes of his talons down her back, telling her everything would be alright, always brought her back to reality.

She needed that right now. She needed him here with her. There was no Shepard without Vakarian and for the first time in years, she found herself crying. Tears streamed down her face and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Curling up, hugging her legs and bawling into her knees was all she could do now.

Before she knew it she drifted back into sleep, praying another dream wouldn't plague her.

* * *

A few hours later, Shepard awoke to the smell of coffee. Either Ba'el finally figured out how to work the coffee machine or Genie made a pot. Shepard did her best to shake off her jitters from her nightmare. She needed to compose herself before leaving her room. Luckily, a few deep breaths did the trick. She got up and slipped on another pair of pants and shirt she borrowed from Genie and left her room.

Genie and Ba'el were both in the kitchen talking.

"_Good morning, Shepard."_

"Morning," she yawned.

"Sleep well?" Genie asked then took a sip of her drink.

"Yeah," Shepard lied. She noticed a small frown on Genie's face, but the girl didn't press the issue further.

"_We'll be ready to leave for the ship whenever Genie finishes her coffee, and you, if you choose to have a cup," _Ba'el said.

"Coffee sounds fantastic," Shepard stepped towards the kitchen.

Their coffee talk didn't last long, mostly going over last minute preparations. Genie made sure all their cargo was accounted for and Ba'el went over travel schematics with Shepard. This was the first time she saw a map of both galaxies side by side and she instantly recognized the Inar Galaxy's location, in relation to the Milky Way, as the Andromeda Galaxy. Shepard quietly laughed to herself thinking that the entire time, everyone in the Milky Way knew of this galaxy's existence. Now, they would get to know its inhabitants. The salarians were going to have a heyday with this information.

She also noticed on the map that they would travel dangerously close to a Reaper outpost, or what looked like an outpost, which acted as a half-way point between the two galaxies. Ba'el reassured Shepard that they could safely pass undetected because the Reapers could only recognize their ship as space junk in the vastness of Dark Space. When Shepard asked about the signal they would be transmitting, Ba'el replied that hundreds of lost tracking signals from the galaxies get lost in Dark Space all the time. Their ship, to the Reapers, would look just like a lost transmitter floating by.

After going over final details, they headed for the space port. The Diet assigned an exploration ship called the _Inquisitor _for their journey. Its design was unlike anything Shepard had seen before. The ship didn't have any distinguishable wings but it did have wing-like structures on the top and bottom of the vessel. Shepard thought those could be them and wondered how they functioned positioned like that. The size of the ship was also peculiar. She couldn't compare it to any Alliance standard ship size. It was larger than a shuttle but smaller than the _Normandy_. In fact, it looked like it could snuggly fit into her cargo bay.

When she entered the ship, she was just as taken aback as she was with its exterior. The bulk of the ship was open concept, similar to a shuttle craft. There was a door towards the back of the ship that led to the cargo space. The cock pit was up front with a partial dividing wall separating it from the "living" area. There was a small mess on the other side of ship and a couch with a small dining area adjacent to it and two doors next to the mess. Shepard gathered they were the dorms. A quick glance to her right revealed a sitting area with a couch against the wall, two chairs across and a coffee table in between. All the furniture was sleek and simple. Design trends must be boundless between the two galaxies.

Genie was ecstatic to be on the ship and began to act like a kid in a candy store. She was more explorative than Shepard, touching nearly everything and often getting a swat on her hands from Ba'el. After they all had a chance to look over ship, Ba'el took his seat in the pilot's chair while Shepard and Genie sat on the couch.

In minutes, Shepard felt the ship lifting off. She welcomed the sensation, reminding her of her days on the _Normandy_. She was anxious to get back on the _Normandy_ again but she wondered if she would get her ship back, or if the ship survived the war.

_No, she and the crew got out safely, _she shook the negative thoughts away, _she's bound to be in good hands. Maybe Kaidan or even James?_

These kinds of thoughts filled her head for the rest of the day. She knew this was going to be a long and rough trip.

* * *

_Day 4_

Shepard and Genie sat around the dining table, both engrossed in data pads. Shepard finished looking over some schematics Ba'el transferred to her. She wasn't sure what Genie was looking at though. There was something Genie said last week and Shepard was honestly curious. Plus, a good banter would provide a distraction from her current boredom.

"So who's Jeremy?"

Genie looked up at Shepard from her data pad, "Damn. I hoped you didn't hear that."

"You mentioned you had a sister, so was he your brother? Or perhaps your boyfriend?"

Genie let out a sigh, "He was my boyfriend. It's just so odd that Ba'el looks so much like him," she glanced over towards Ba'el in the cock pit, making sure he wasn't listening, "I've never talked about Jeremy with him, so I'm curious as to how he chose that skin he's wearing."

"Maybe he read your mind?" Shepard suggested.

Genie shook her head, "No, that's impossible. Andona may be telepathic but they're not mind readers. It has to be pure coincidence. I mean, Ba'el's skin is a bit darker than Jeremy's but the hair, facial structure, and height are nearly spot-on."

A devious smile appeared on Shepard's face, "Maybe he's trying to attract you. You two would look cute together."

"What?!" Genie exclaimed. Ba'el turned his head briefly towards the women but resumed his business. Genie hunched down closer to the table and lowered her voice dramatically, "Ba'el and I are just friends. I mean, he's an Andona and I'm a human. How would that even work?"

"Inter-species relationships aren't uncommon anymore. Hell, even I'm in one. You shouldn't shoot down the idea just because of his race," Shepard exhorted.

"Well I…I mean…I do find Ba'el attractive _because_ he looks so much like my old boyfriend. That's reasonable logic. But I never thought…Damn it Shepard, now you've got me all flustered and confused. Thanks." Sarcasm seethed from her lips.

"I do what I can," she teased.

* * *

_Day 7 _

Shepard sat with Ba'el in the ship's cock pit while Genie prepared dinner. Her conversation with the Andona was casual enough. Shepard was curious about the weapons Ba'el decided to bring with him. He had nearly every variety of guns: pistol, sniper rifle, shotgun, assault rifle, and a heavy weapon. Eventually, they began talking about his military service.

"So how long did you serve?" Shepard asked.

"_For seven years. I enlisted when I was nineteen. We first have the option to join when we are sixteen but I decided to enlist later."_

"So military service isn't required for your people?" Shepard was reminded of the turians and their young enlistment age.

"_No, it's not. All Andona are proficient enough to fight if the need is great enough. Military service is just a career path and a means of living. We are, if I'm using the human phrase correctly, natural born killers. We are trained from a very young age to kill."_

"How young are you talking about?" Shepard asked.

"_Almost literally from the time we are born. It's impossible for us to harm ourselves, so instead of playing with toys like other child races, we play with knives and guns. By the age of five, we start training with explosives. Then when we turn sixteen, we can enlist,"_ Ba'el explained.

Shepard couldn't believe what the Andona was saying. She thought the turians were a strict military race but what Ba'el was saying about the Andona put the turians to shame.

"So the Andona raise child soldiers, essentially? That isn't right," Shepard griped.

"_I understand it sounds weird to anyone who isn't an Andona but children are not put into combat until they choose to at sixteen. The only time children were thrown into battle was during the latter part of the Inar War when our numbers were terribly low and we were desperate for soldiers. After the war ended, raising children to fight became a cultural custom. There still is a clause in our government that can send children into war in desperate times of need. Unfortunately, with this war emerging with the Harvesters, we may have to resort to children again. I hope that never comes to pass,"_ he said solemnly.

"That won't happen," Shepard declared, "It's not a child's place to fight a war like this. We'll be lucky enough to save them if this becomes anything like our Reaper War.

"_I agree with you, child soldiers are wrong. There are also other Andona who think the same. However, I don't think you'll be able to convince the rest of our race to change their way of thinking overnight,"_ Ba'el responded.

A heavy stillness filled the room. Luckily, Genie's call from the mess broke the silence.

* * *

_Day 16 _

Shepard was too restless to sleep that night. She gave up on tossing and turning and decided to slip out of the room to grab a cup of coffee and do some strategic planning. This new war effort was going to be massive in scale and Shepard needed to concoct some sort of plan to pull it all off.

After situating herself on the couch with her mug in hand, she typed away at data pads, trying to think of different strategies. She knew this had to be a multi-galactic effort, which meant her own galaxy needed to be united for this to work. She spent the majority of the war uniting all the races to fight the Reapers and she only hoped her efforts were still in place. She created a contingency plan just in case the galaxy went to hell after her disappearance but it was a safe bet to say everyone was working together in some sort of peaceful manner.

She ran different scenarios through her head. She thought of twenty different ways the Alliance and the Council would react to her reappearance and her proposition of intergalactic efforts. Hopefully her status as a Spectre would win her some approval. Was she still a Spectre after all this time or did the Council believe her to be dead again? She decided to form the majority of her planning around her still being a Spectre but would also have some plans just in case she wasn't.

After hours of frustrating planning, ten cups of coffee, and a myriad of data pads scattered around her, she finally came up with a plan in a best case scenario. It would also work in the worst case with a little bit more effort. She banked on the worst possible outcome since everything she ever did seemed to go wrong somehow.

The only thing that made sense to her was to create her own fleet and military with contributions from every, and she meant _every_, race in the galaxy. This had to be a galactic-wide effort to even stand a chance of working.

A talk with Ba'el a week ago gave her the idea. The races in Andona controlled space have achieved such a stature. They run under one effective military but also have military branches that focus on their individual races. Granted, this was a successful system with four races, compared to a dozen. The Council was part of the way there with the unification of asari, turian, salarian, and human politics and militaries but there was no way she was going to convince the Council to add the remaining races into their ranks in the time she needed them. It would be easier to coax them into agreeing to a splinter fleet.

And if that didn't work, she could always go rouge. That would be a last ditch effort.

She was sure the Alliance would be on board with such an idea. Admiral Hackett was a reasonable man and he would understand the situation she'd present to him. She'd also have to go to each individual race's leaders and convince them to join her too. The krogan, quarians, and geth would be the easiest to persuade, since they both owed her more than a thousand lifetimes over.

She wasn't sure about the volus, elcor, hanar and drell though. The volus and elcor probably couldn't provide military support but their economic resourcefulness would be invaluable to set up trade links with the Inar races. The hanar may offer drell warriors but she wasn't too sure about that. She'd have to think about them some more.

That left the batarians and sadly, the vorcha. She considered the yahg for a while but concluded that they were too unstable as a race to do give any significant help. The vorcha barely passed the mark. Their adaptability to the environment and regenerative abilities were enough for Shepard to consider their aid. The real trick was to persuade them into working with her and not against her. Their lack of government and military would be problematic but if it didn't work out, she wasn't at a major loss without the vorcha.

The batarians, on the other hand, were the real problem. She wasn't exactly on good terms with them, especially after the Alpha Relay. She hoped that the Hegemony, in its weakened state, could work past their past struggles and try to work together with the rest of the galaxy.

With her final plans fleshed out, she placed the data pad on the coffee table, closed her eyes and relaxed. Sleep swiftly took over her.

* * *

_Day 35_

"_Shepard, I think you may want to see this."_ Ba'el called out.

Shepard was eating lunch with Genie over at the dining table when Ba'el requested her presence. She excused herself from the table and walked over to the cock pit. She took her place behind the seat Ba'el was in.

"What's up?"

"_We're approaching the Harvester outpost now. I thought since you haven't actually seen a Harvester since waking from your coma, you'd want to see them for yourself."_

He was right. Everything the Diet had presented to her about the Reapers she took at face value. However, all the information she received about the Harvesters correlated perfectly with the Reapers, so Shepard knew their continued existence could not be a coincidence. It pained her to know there were more Reapers in Dark Space but ignoring their presence would be a stupid move. She wanted them eradicated from all of space. She normally wasn't this callous but after seeing what kind of destruction they brought, ruthlessness was the only option.

Ba'el directed her attention to port, pointing out the outpost. The construct was enormous and ominous in the vastness of Dark Space.

There was a vertical pillar with docking ports shooting out from it in different directions. The pillar must have been a giant generator because there were enough ports to house hundreds of Reapers. Only half of them were occupied at the moment.

The sight of the Reapers made Shepard's stomach drop. Seeing them again was surreal but it was the tangible proof she needed to convince everyone they had to take up arms against them one more time. She could only hope they would listen to her without fail this time around.

"So you're sure they can't detect us?"

"_Positive. They use that hub as a way to conserve power in between harvests. It would waste too much energy to come investigate a tiny ship such as ours. Luckily, bypassing this port won't be a problem when we have established solid travel connections between our galaxies. Ships will move too fast for the Harvesters to detect their presence." _

Their abruptly conversation ended there. Shepard spent the rest of the time passing the outpost on edge. She hadn't felt this nervous since her return to Earth with the galaxy's fleets behind her.

* * *

_Day 42_

Their trip was more than half way over and Shepard was about to go stir crazy. She enjoyed Genie and Ba'el's company but they all ran out of conversation topics a long time ago and there was only so much she could do to keep herself entertained. She would think up a variety of war strategies, daydream about the good old days with her crew mates, or play with random objects with her biotics. Genie loved it when she used her biotics. She was fascinated with how Shepard could control dark matter. However, by this point in time, even Genie was bored with the magical blue spells.

Shepard decided to join Ba'el in the cock pit. She could swear the Andona didn't leave his seat. He was practically glued to it.

When she sat down next to him in the copilot's seat, the two remained in silence for quite a while. Most of their talks revolved around the Andona and Diet's militaries, weapon mods, and tactics on how to take down enemies. They never talked about Ba'el's history.

"Before you became a military man, what did you do before? What about now?" she asked.

Ba'el turned his seat to face her, slightly excited to engage in some conversation, "_My specialty is in xenobiology, especially when it comes to foreign life forms outside our galaxy. My main focus is on Milky Way species."_

"Which species, exactly?" she pressed.

"_I've studied many of them. The asari, salarians, turians, krogan, quarians, and humans are the ones I, and the rest of the xenobiologist field, know the most about, if you want to look at it like that. We only have a few images of them, deduced a few cultural customs and know what part of the Milky Way they're more dominate in. Beyond that, we have no idea what the races are like. I look forward to studying them extensively."_

Shepard crossed her arms, "So you're here just to study us?"

Ba'el's jaw dropped in shock, _"That's not what I meant to imply. I'm here, first and foremost, to help you with your mission in whatever way possible, whether it be in a lab or on the field_."

An idea popped into Shepard's head, "maybe this could become mutually beneficial. If our galaxies are going to work together, we'll need to know as much about each other's species as possible. Would you be willing to help with that effort? I know you're a xenobiologist, but I'm sure you know the nuts and bolts of the Inar races."

"_Nuts and bolts?"_ A quizzical look appeared on Ba'el's face.

"It's a human saying," Shepard laughed, "It means you have an extensive knowledge of something."

Ba'el continued to look at her, still slightly perplexed, _"I'll try my best to help you there, Shepard. I may have to contact some colleagues for these nuts and bolts, but a mutual understanding of our races would be beneficial. I'll see what I can do." _

"Glad to hear it, Ba'el," she gave him a light pat on his shoulder and left the Andona to fly the ship.

* * *

_Day 52_

It was late at night and Shepard had the munchies. She couldn't fall asleep with her stomach constantly rumbling. Frequently toying around with her biotics caused her hunger to grow. Hopefully she would be able to find something to satiate her hunger.

Before she left the room, she could hear a faint melody outside. Was Genie singing?

Shepard silently exited the room and kept silent with her back against the hallway wall. Whatever Genie was singing, Shepard couldn't understand it but it was one of the most beautiful sounds she ever heard.

Her voice was low and smooth, almost like a light hum. The melody was angelic yet haunting and it sent shivers through her body. The earthiness of the tune reminded her of her mother's singing and how she would lull her and her brother to sleep every night when they were younger.

Suddenly, the singing stopped. Shepard quickly realized she was taping her fingers on the wall, following the beats of Genie's ballad. She rounded the corner and revealed herself.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you," she apologized, "Your voice is beautiful. I didn't know you sang."

Genie gave her a smile, accepting her apology, "Yeah, it's always been a passion of mine. I've always wanted to be a singer when I grew up. I even attended a performing arts school."

"What kind of song was that?"

It's an Andonian hymn. It's the first song I learned in their language. It's pretty old fashioned but I like the way it sounds. So why are you up this late?"

"I could ask you the same," Shepard chuckled.

"I was…doing some cleaning," Genie's eyes shifted in embarrassment, "When I get too restless, I like to clean and sing. Old habits die hard, I guess. Now what about you?"

"Got hungry," Shepard bluntly replied.

"Want me to cook you something?"

"Sure."

Genie opened up a cabinet and snatched a few ingredients. Shepard wasn't sure what she grabbed, since Genie swiftly placed what she had behind the counter.

"So you cook, clean, _and _entertain. I don't think I've ever been this spoiled before. I think my crew will enjoy it." Shepard teased.

Genie laughed. "Like I said: old habits. I've been so used to it for years, it comes naturally. The entertaining, however, is debatable. I sing when the moment feels right. Sometimes it happens spontaneously but I don't take song requests."

"Damn. Here I was hoping you would sing some Elton John for me."

"I_ might _consider it, and only because he's a classic. I didn't know you were fond of 20th century music."

"Some musicians are timeless. Many have emerged over the past few centuries but only the greatest survived the span of time," Shepard explained.

"He was a legend, even during my generation," Genie paused momentarily, "So what song will it be?"

"Rocket Man."

"How fitting," Genie quipped.

Shepard was well aware of the parallels between the song and her life but she enjoyed the song nonetheless.

Genie's voice truly did the song justice. It was the right mixture of softness and energy. There was a passion in her singing and Shepard relished each word flowing out of her mouth. Though Genie sang a cappella, Shepard could envision the music playing in the background; the electric guitar sliding in tune with her words. She continued to sing while cooking whatever mystery meal she was making.

After she finished the last verse, she handed Shepard a plate of eggs and pancakes. "I hope you're in the mood for breakfast."

Shepard smiled and accepted the plate happily, "Sounds delicious. Thanks, Genie."

Genie also made a plate for herself and joined Shepard at the table.

The two continued to talk about their favorite musicians for a few hours before they both decided to retire back to bed.

* * *

_Day 67_

The ship was approaching the fringes of the Milky Way and the mass relay in the Exodus Cluster, fast. They would pass through the relay in a few days. Shepard deemed this a good time to go over everything she compiled over the past few months with her new crewmates. They sat around the dining table in the mess to discuss the details.

She explained her plan to create a splinter fleet and how she was going to rally all the galaxy's races again to fight the rest of the Reapers. She also told them that the first order of business was to locate the _Normandy_. It may be on Earth or somewhere else in the galaxy, but she would be the best place to start and would make the best place for operations. Plus, Shepard was anxious to be back on her ship, commanding her own crew. The _Inquisitor_ was a nice ship but the _Normandy _was better.

Genie and Ba'el were on board with the plan and promised to provide support in any way that they could. That was when Ba'el pointed out a small oversight in Shepard's plan.

"_What about communications, Shepard? If you do convince the Council to establish relations with the Diet, how will they communicate?"_

Shit. She hadn't thought of that. Luckily, Genie had an answer.

"I'm sure the translator technology isn't all that different from what we use, Ba'el," she turned to Shepard, "I could start compiling translations from Andonian and Tundsali to English. It'll take me about a month per language if I work overtime. After I complete that, a simple upload as an update in the galaxy's translators should allow everyone to understand these languages."

"Sounds like a plan. Get started on that immediately," Shepard ordered. Genie now had something to occupy her time, not only for the remainder of their trip, but for a few months in the future.

"On it," Genie complied and left the dining area to go grab some data pads.

Now that Genie had something to work on, she needed to think of something for Ba'el to do. These two were going to be part of her crew on the _Normandy_ and everyone contributed to the overall mission in some shape or form. She couldn't immediately come up with anything using Ba'el's xenobiology expertise aside from what they talked about earlier but came up with a use for his military skills. Genie, more than likely, would not accompany her on ground missions but Ba'el could. With his tactical cloak and mastery of nearly every weapon and explosive, he would make a great infiltrator on missions. She could use him to sneak in and out of places. She hadn't had think kind of skill set on her team since Kasumi during the suicide mission with the Collectors.

She went over the details with Ba'el and he agreed with her logic. His eyes lit up and he seemed quite excited at the prospect of being in a fire fight again. She could only hope he could follow her orders and not get too ecstatic about killing their enemies.

For the remainder of the day, they talked about different infiltrator strategies and she made sure he stood up to her standards. He not only did he met her standards but also provided some scenarios she never would have thought of.

Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

* * *

_Day 70_

"_We're approaching the mass relay, Shepard. ETA 10 minutes."_

She and Ba'el sat in the cock pit as they approached the mass relay in the Exodus Cluster. She acted as a copilot, even though she had no idea how to operate the ship's controls. She mostly focused on navigation, especially since this was familiar territory for her.

"Good," she replied, "Once we pass through, I'll place some tracking signals to find the _Normandy_. Hopefully she isn't too far away."

After captaining the _Normandy_ for so many years, Shepard knew the ins and outs of her ship. She even knew the codes and unique parameters of the ship, which would make tracking her down easier.

Finally, the _Inquisitor_ made the final stretch and successfully passed through the mass relay. They were now sitting in the Exodus Cluster.

Shepard found the communications hub, wanting to see if they were able to establish communications back in the Inar Galaxy. She told Ba'el to get on the comms since he could effectively communicate with whoever was on the other line.

"_This is Ba'el. Does anyone copy?"_

_We copy you, Ba'el. This is Victrol speaking. I take it you made it safely?_

"_Yes we did. I'm glad these comms work."_

_As do we. We'd like to test out the relay connection too, so we're going to send a few ships your way._

Before Ba'el could respond to Victrol, Shepard stepped in, regardless if he could understand her or not, "Belay that, Victrol. I can't have you send your ships yet. Not until I get an okay with my galaxy's government."

_I think you're breaking up on me, Ba'el. I didn't understand a thing you said._

"_That wasn't me, Victrol. It was Shepard. She said you need to wait on the ships. She needs approval from her government before you fly in."_

A sigh could be heard from the other side of the comm. _You're right. We play it by your rules, Shepard. Just don't wait too long before getting back to us. Victrol out._

Shepard let out a breath of relief. Now that situation was under control, she could focus on pinpointing the _Normandy's_ location. She brought up the tracking device on the console and input the necessary parameters. Instantly, she got a hit. She was in the Kite's Nebula. Batarian space.

The tracking signal also picked up another ship in the vicinity. She couldn't tell exactly what ship it was but she knew it was a turian frigate. She wondered what a turian and human ship were doing together in the middle of batarian space.

Putting her curiosity aside, she locked in on the coordinates and Ba'el piloted the _Inquisitor _back through the mass relay.

She hoped the best scenarios she ran through her head would play out when they appeared on the other side of the jump. If everything worked out perfectly, she'd hail the _Normandy_, get on board, maybe have some sentimental moments with her crew, and then begin to lay out the rest of her design. If not, then her plans were going to get much more complicated.


	9. Chapter 9 - Reunion

**A/N: And it's the chapter we've all been waiting for! I hope you're as excited for it as I am. And to celebrate, I've added a bit of fluff at the end. Don't worry, it's nothing smutty. I also bumped up the rating of this story to M for future violence and occasional fowl language in later chapters. Romance scenes will continue to be T rated though. As always, please R&R and I'll see you again next chapter!**

* * *

Garrus rejoined Kaidan on the _Normandy_ after they dropped off the medical supplies on Anhur. She and the _Havincaw_ were linked together, idling in the middle of batarian space. The two soldiers relocated to Kaidan's quarters to talk about their other mission in more detail.

They drafted a tentative crew for the mission. They would have Joker, Cortez, Adams, Chakwas, Daniels and Donnelly along with the rest of the _Normandy_ crew to man the ship. Unfortunately, Traynor relocated back to the Labs shortly after they returned to Earth and she hadn't been heard from since. Tali and James were already confirmed squad mates for groundside missions. Infiltrating the CAT6 base could be done with only four people, but it would be preferable if they had more however time wasn't on their side, so four would have to do.

"I take it Liara is out of commission, seeing as we can't find where she is. Wrex is too busy with expanding the krogan population, plus, he's getting old. And everyone from the Cerberus days is either dead or busy with other duties. We're running out of people we can trust here, Kaidan."

The biotic rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off an oncoming headache, "Yeah, you're right. I can't think of anyone. Maybe we could recruit some people from your ship to join us?"

Garrus pondered the idea for a moment. He trusted his crew without fault, so any of them would do, "I'd have to look over my crew dossiers in more detail but any of them are more than qualified for this mission. The bigger issue would be convincing Victus to let them come with us."

"That won't be a problem, Garrus. I'm thinking two of your best soldiers should suffice."

_Uhh, Kaidan, I think we've got a problem_, Joker came over the comm.

"What is it, Joker?" Kaidan got up from his seat.

_We have an unidentified ship approaching us from starboard. I can't tell what kind of ship it is from the scanners. It could be hostile._

"Shit," Garrus growled under his breath, "Could this be CAT6?"

Kaidan shook his head, "I don't know. Have you tried hailing the ship, Joker?"

_Do you think I'd be telling you there was a problem if I hadn't? Of course I hailed them! All I got was a gargled mess. _

"I'll be right there," Kaidan said and motioned for Garrus to follow him to the helm.

* * *

The _Normandy_ was far off in the distance but in her sights. Serenity settled throughout her body. If felt good to see her ship again.

The ping of the flight console made her jump.

"_We're receiving a hailing frequency from the _Normandy_. I'll patch it through,"_ Ba'el stated.

_Unidentified ship, this is the _SSV Normandy_. Please identify yourself._

It was Joker's voice. She was glad to hear him and she had high hopes that her plan wouldn't go awry.

Shepard pressed down on the button to respond, "Joker, it's good to hear your voice. This is Shepard. I don't have time to explain everything. I need to dock beside the _Normandy_."

_Unidentified ship, I can't understand a damn thing you're saying. I'm getting interference. Please repeat yourself._

She repeated herself but got the same response. She turned to Ba'el, "What's up with the interference. Is there any way to fix it?"

"_I'm trying to find the problem. I'm not sure why it's happening. I would suggest activating our shields, just in case they view us as aggressive."_

Shepard agreed, that would be the wisest move at the moment, "Do it," she ordered.

Ba'el tapped away at the panel when another hail came through.

_This is Major Kaidan Alenko with the Systems Alliance. We know your shields went up. This doesn't have to become violent. _

Shepard released a sigh of relief. She was glad to hear Kaidan's voice too. She tried once more to communicate with them.

"This is Shepard, Kaidan. Don't engage us. We're friendly."

* * *

Kaidan and Garrus were at the helm in no time. Garrus stood back at the entrance to the cock pit while Kaidan took position behind Joker's seat.

"Bad news, boss. They threw up their shields. I'm not sure what they're trying to do," Joker said.

"They'd be stupid to take on two frigates alone, looking at the size of the ship. I've never seen a ship like it. I'm not going to underestimate it though," Kaidan reached across Joker to speak in the comm, "This is Major Kaidan Alenko with the Systems Alliance. We know your shields went up. This doesn't have to become violent."

Kaidan and Garrus soon understood what Joker meant when he described the transmission as "gargled."

_T….Shepard…..enga…friend….._

That made Garrus stand at attention.

Kaidan turned around to Garrus and he instantly knew what the Spectre was thinking. Garrus gave him an approving nod.

"If this is you, Shepard, then you'll need to link with the _Havincaw's_ port side. The _Normandy_ doesn't have the extra airlock," Kaidan replied. He then took a few steps towards Garrus, "Put your crew on red alert. I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever is on that ship has ulterior motives. We greet them with a squad and if things turn sideways, we take them out before they do any damage."

"Agreed," Garrus said and reached for his earpiece, "_Havincaw_, this is the captain speaking. We are on red alert, I repeat, red alert. I want Alpha squad on airlock two, stat. Assume the approaching ship as aggressive but do not take any action until Major Alenko and I arrive. Vakarian out."

Garrus looked over towards Kaidan, "Let's go."

* * *

_If this is you, Shepard, then you'll need to link with the Havincaw's port side. The Normandy doesn't have the extra airlock._

"_It looks like our message got through, Shepard."_

She looked at Ba'el, "Did you find the problem with the transmission?"

Ba'el shook his head, _"No, I didn't. Your name, at least, came through."_

Something didn't settle right with Kaidan's words. The tone of his voice sounded off.

"Ba'el, where are your guns? We'll need to arm ourselves before we dock."

Ba'el gave Shepard a blank look but eventually replied,_ "They are in my room. Do you think they believe us to be enemies?"_

"I do. Kaidan isn't dumb. He's playing all the right cards. We just need to make sure we have arms just in case things go askew."

With that, Shepard directed Ba'el to dock with the _Havincaw_ as she went to grab his guns. They were going into this situation without armor but at least they'd be armed. Shepard had to be sure to err on the side of caution here. One wrong step, order, or word could get the three of them killed. She just hoped that Kaidan would be there when they stepped out of the airlock.

After snatching Ba'el's weapons she grabbed Genie and gave her a debriefing on the situation.

"Can you fire a gun?" Shepard asked her.

"Of course I can," Genie retorted, "If I didn't know how to shoot a gun or how to defend myself after spending years with the Andona, I'd be a useless specimen."

"Good," Shepard shoved the pistol in her hands, "You follow my orders explicitly, understood? Not one shot fired unless I give the order."

"Yes ma'am."

The ship shifted slightly from docking with the _Havincaw_ and then she heard the hissing of the decompression chambers. Ba'el got up from his seat and approached the two women. He picked up the assault rifle while Shepard chose the shotgun. She didn't need to say anything to Ba'el. She knew he would follow her orders exactly.

She checked the ammo in the gun and cocked it, "Alright, let's do this."

Shepard took point in their formation with Ba'el on her left and Genie on her right. She was glad they quickly fell into position behind her. Ba'el opened the airlock doors on the _Inquisitor_ and immediately the _Havincaw's_ opened, revealing room with a six turian squad, guns pointed at them.

"Put the weapons down, humans," one of the turians barked at them. His subharmonics were fierce and intimidating.

"Shepard," Genie whispered to her, "What are they saying?"

She completely forgot about this. Genie and Ba'el couldn't understand what the turian was saying. Shepard didn't have her translator but she understood him. Learning basic turian, as well as the other Council languages, was required in Alliance basic training. Plus, having a turian boyfriend kept her in constant practice.

"What did you say, human? Speak up if you're going to talk!" the same turian growled.

"He's not going to kill us, is he?" Genie continued to question. Shepard could hear the uneasiness in her voice.

This time, the turian heard her, "I'll _kill_ you if you don't put your weapons down!"

Shit. Things were escalating too quickly for her liking. "Genie just shut up for two minutes. He's not going to kill us," then she turned to the turian, "I'm Commander Shepard. I don't think it would be a wise idea to fire at us, soldier. So why don't we all put our weapons down and talk about this like civilized people?"

"Sorry, Commander. The captain gave us direct orders. Unless I hear otherwise from him, we continue on like this."

The austerity in Shepard's voice came through, "Tell your captain that I…"

"Stand down, men," a familiar voice ordered.

Shepard looked over to the room's entrance and saw the familiar blue and black armor she adored so much. Garrus, followed by Kaidan, entered the room and the squad immediately lowered their weapons and saluted.

"Garrus," Shepard's voice caught in the throat as she said her lover's name. She dropped her weapon and motioned for Ba'el and Genie to do the same.

"Shepard?" he said, surprised to see her. His strides towards her quickly closed the distance between them. It took every bone in his body to keep himself from taking her into his embrace but instead, he offered his hand to her. She smiled at him and understood where he was coming from. He didn't want to flaunt their relationship to the rest of his crew, plus they would look at it as insubordination. It wasn't how he wanted his crew to view him.

She took his hand and they stayed together longer than they should have but no one really noticed, "I'm so glad to see you, Garrus."

"I almost can't believe it's you," he said as they pulled apart.

"Is that why I was greeted with a squad of armed and angry turians?" she jested.

"That was just a safety precaution. You know how turians are, with the sticks up our asses."

Shepard laughed. She then noticed Kaidan awkwardly standing behind Garrus, trying not to interfere with their moment.

"Kaidan! I'm so glad to see you," she walked over to her biotic comrade and gave him a firm and welcoming hand shake.

"Shepard," he said as he received her handshake. He looked over to Garrus and said, "I think this changes our plans, dramatically."

"I agree," Garrus replied.

"What plans?" Shepard asked.

"Let's head back to the _Normandy_ and I'll explain it all to you," Kaidan suggested.

"Ok," she agreed, "But before we talk any further, I need a new translator. Same for these two," she motioned at Genie and Ba'el, "I'm barely keeping up with Garrus. If this is going to get technical, we'll be screwed without them."

Garrus looked over to Shepard's new companions when she mentioned them. The two humans looked suspicious to him. He didn't know the backstory behind all of this but Shepard seemed to trust them. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for him to quell his apprehension. He made sure to keep a close eye on them as the five of them headed for the _Normandy._

"So what _did_ happen to your translator?" Kaidan questioned.

"My old one got fried. The one I'm using now doesn't recognize most languages here," she stopped herself, trying to think of the best way to word everything, "Let's just say this one recognizes some different languages. I'll clarify more when we're back."

They finally passed through the_ Normandy's_ airlock. All the anxiety Shepard had built up released itself the second she stepped foot back on her ship. She was finally home.

"So who the hell were those idiots, Kaidan?" Shepard heard Joker's voice from the helm, "They must…"

He was speechless when he saw Shepard walk onto the ship. Shepard gave him a wide smile and a wave as she passed by him. Joker's jaw still hung wide open when she walked down the bridge into the CIC.

As she and the rest of her entourage made their way back towards the War Room, every crew member on the _Normandy_ stopped what they were doing and stood to give Shepard a salute. They were all speechless, not thinking they'd see their old commander so soon. A salute was the least they could do for the women they respected most in the entire galaxy.

When they reached the conference table just outside the War Room, Shepard let out a sigh of relief. That entire walk was tense and slightly surreal for her. Kaidan left the room momentarily to grab the translators Shepard requested. When he returned, she promptly placed the device in her ear. Genie followed suit while Ba'el made a quick adjustment to it before placing it in his. Shepard guessed he was making sure it was on English settings so he could use it effectively.

"Much better. Now, before we get too deep into business, I'd like to introduce Genie and Ba'el. They'll be accompanying us."

Ba'el gave a slight bow while Genie offered her hand in greeting. Ba'el picked up on the gesture and then offered his hand too.

"Who exactly are you?" Garrus asked the new members. Shepard heard the aggressive subharmonics in his voice. He was obviously suspicious of them.

"_I believe that will take some explanation,"_ Ba'el responded.

Shepard noticed Kaidan's eyebrows rise and Garrus tilted and rubbed at the side of his head.

"Um, what just happened? My head kind of buzzed," Kaidan responded.

Shepard let out an exasperated sigh, "Let me explain."

* * *

It took hours for Shepard, and eventually Genie and Ba'el, to detail why Shepard was gone for nearly two years, the Inar Galaxy and its races, the return of the Reapers, and her plan to finally eradicate them. Kaidan and Garrus asked a myriad of questions but by the end of it all, they were one hundred percent behind Shepard. When Ba'el revealed his true form to them, they were taken aback; however, they've seen some pretty odd things during their voyages. They were sure they would get used to him but luckily he said he would use his human form the majority of the time during their mission.

Garrus' initial misgivings of Shepard's new companions soon dissipated but he still had some reservations. They would have to earn his trust, especially the Andona. He wasn't racist but it would be hard to trust him because he knew next to nothing about his species. However, he wasn't going to book the judge's cover on them, or whatever that human saying was.

Kaidan and Garrus also went over the ransom note Kaidan received and their initial plan to raid the CAT6 base. Shepard argued that it would still be a smart idea to investigate the base, plus they would get a nice little surprise when they finally show up.

They agreed they would continue with their current course of action. Tomorrow, the _Normandy_ and _Havincaw_ would part ways and the _Normandy_ would come back to Palaven to get Garrus after they pick up James and finish some now new business on Earth. Admiral Hackett would want to see Shepard, so that meeting would need to take top priority.

Kaidan also suggested that they should acquire more squad mates and pitched the idea of some members from Garrus' crew to join. Shepard thought it was a sound idea and Garrus agreed to choose his two best soldiers to join them.

"We should call it for a night," Garrus suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea. Where would you like us to stay, Shepard?" Genie asked about her and Ba'el's living situations.

"What kind of place would be ideal for you two?" Shepard asked for their input.

Genie looked over at Ba'el then back to Shepard, "Well, if there's anywhere that has enough room for me to practice dancing without disturbing anyone that would be ideal."

"_And a place with sufficient light would be preferable for me,"_ Ba'el added.

Shepard gave it some thought, "Perhaps the starboard cargo on engineering deck for Genie and life support on the crew deck for Ba'el?" she looked over to Kaidan and Garrus for their opinions.

"I think they would be sufficient spaces," Garrus replied, "No one is occupying those rooms now, right Kaidan?"

Kaidan shook his head, no. "We've got a skeleton crew here. Most people are in the crew quarters. Bradley is in starboard observation and I'm in the XO's office. Those are the only occupied rooms."

"Wait," Shepard put her hand up, stopping Kaidan from continuing, "If you're in the XO's room, then who's in the captain's quarters?"

"No one," he simply replied, "I may be in charge of this ship but it's ultimately yours. She only has one true captain and that's you, Shepard."

The corner of Shepard's mouth rose, "I'm flattered, Kaidan, but there's no need to brown nose."

"I'm not," Kaidan argued, "just speaking the truth, ma'am. You really should get some rest. We can talk more about the mission tomorrow on our way back to Earth."

Kaidan gave a small parting gesture and left the room with Ba'el and Genie following suit. That left Garrus and Shepard alone.

"Shall we relocate to somewhere more comfortable?" Garrus asked. His mandibles widened.

Shepard returned with a devious smile, "You read my mind."

They left the conference room and entered the elevator to head up to Shepard's quarters. When she entered her room, she noticed that nothing changed. Her models ships were still displayed, her bed freshly made, and her fish swam around. She walked up to her aquarium and was glad they were still alive and kicking. That fish feeding VI was one of the best purchases she ever made. Knowing her fish were fine, she turned around to see how her little guy was doing, except…

"Where's Mr. Snuggles?"

"What?" Garrus' head tilted to one side.

"Mr. Snuggles, Garrus! My hamster! Where is he?" Shepard's body began to tense up.

Garrus placed his hands on her shoulder's and looked down into her eyes. His touch instantly calmed her down. "Don't worry, he's safe and sound. He's in my quarters on the _Havincaw_."

Shepard let out a breath the release the rest of her tension, "Good. I was going to have to murder you if anything happened to him."

"I'm hurt, Shepard. I would never do anything to harm your precious hamster," Garrus placed a hand on his chest, acting like her words actually wounded him. Damn, she really missed his humor.

The mood in the room quickly turned somber. "Garrus, I'm so…I didn't mean to…" Shepard felt the need to apologize for her absence but Garrus cut her off.

"Shepard," Garrus placed his hand on her cheek, "There's no need to apologize to me. You've done nothing wrong."

"When I died, you ran off to Omega and got yourself into deep trouble. This time, I was gone for about the same time and I worried that you…"

Garrus cut her off again, "I didn't do anything stupid. I got your message, albeit it was quite overdue, but I didn't go off and do anything crazy."

He moved his hands around her waist and pulled her close and placed his forehead on hers, "All I care about is that you're back safely. The galaxy sure as hell was different without you around but we made do. Now that you're back, we can go back to kicking galactic ass."

Shepard laughed and placed a light kiss on Garrus' mouth plates. He returned her kiss the best way a turian could. He became a better kisser as they grew closer to each other and she was glad he wasn't out of practice. She wrapped her hands around his neck and gave him another, more passionate, kiss.

Garrus propped Shepard up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He turned around and pressed her against the aquarium, lips still locked together. The coolness of the glass on Shepard's back counteracted the warmth rising in her body. She began to massage the soft skin behind Garrus' fringe. The low purring he emitted let her know she was hitting all the right spots. She moved her hands down his armor and started to unclasp the locks.

Garrus soon moved them over to her bed, Shepard dropping off pieces of the upper half of his armor one by one. Garrus also worked Shepard out of her shirt by the time he placed her on the bed. It didn't take long for the rest of what they wore came off and they shared the rest of their night in blissful love.


	10. Chapter 10 - Earth

Shepard rolled over and noticed the empty space in her bed. She sat up and saw Garrus, dressed in his under armor, sitting on her couch reading a data pad.

"Morning," he greeted her. He placed the data pad down and got up to sit next to her on her bed.

"Too restless to sleep?" She rolled her neck and shoulders to loosen them up. Even the captain's bed was hard as a rock.

Noticing her discomfort, Garrus positioned himself behind her and began to massage the tense parts of her body. "A little bit. I didn't want to disturb you, so I thought I would be a little productive."

"Oh?"

"I've been looking over my crew's dossiers. It's really hard to just pick two."

Shepard turned around to Garrus and placed her hand on the scarred side of his face, "I know you'll pick the best two. Need to bounce some thoughts off of me?"

Garrus nodded, "Yeah, if you don't mind." He stood up from the bed to grab the data pad. He returned and sat next to Shepard, scrolling through the files.

"I've narrowed it down to three candidates. The first is my explosives specialist, Tarina Lucus. Her skills are on par with my old salarian specialist back on Omega. She can rig an explosive in seconds and can strategically place them just as quickly. The second is my new Navigator, Acanthus Cinna."

Shepard raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to say something but Garrus placed one of his talons on her lips, "Before you say anything, hear me out. He was just assigned to my ship for this last mission and I haven't gotten time to get to know him, but his dossier shows a lot of potential. He's not just an average Navigator; he was part of the Cabals before this assignment."

"So he's a biotic?"

"Yeah," Garrus continued, "I didn't catch it the first time I looked over his files. It's strange that he's a former Cabal. They usually stay in their tight knit groups. That's my only reservation with him. I'm not sure if his absence from the Cabals is a good or bad sign."

"Ok, what about the third?" Shepard pressed on.

Garrus let out a light chuckle, "You'll get a kick out of it. I was seriously considering Solana, and not just because she's my sister."

"Wait, your sister is serving under you right now?" Shepard was honestly surprised by it. She hadn't had the chance yet to meet his sister but Shepard heard a lot about her from Garrus. She wondered if Garrus told Solana about their relationship yet.

"She is. It wasn't my decision though, it was Victus'. I'm glad she is on my ship. It's nice to have her around. Plus, she's a damn good field medic. If she wasn't around, dad would have gotten off of Palaven with broken limbs. Too bad she ended breaking her own leg instead."

Shepard flipped around to sit on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked directly into his blue-grey eyes, "It looks to me like you've already chosen your two people. I think they'll fit in quite well on the _Normandy_."

"What do you mean?" Garrus blinked.

"You seem set on Acanthus and Solana. I think they'll be great assets to the team."

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Midway through the brief kiss, Joker came over the comms.

_Morning, Commander. Sorry to bother you, but Kaidan would like to get the show on the road. If you want, I can tell him to piss off until you're _*thwack* _Ow! What the hell was that for? Are you _trying_ to break my arm?_

Shepard couldn't help but giggle, "I'll be right down."

She unwillingly left Garrus' embrace and got changed. Garrus also put on his armor while she dressed. As he snapped the last clasp closed, Shepard heard him give a light sigh.

"What's wrong, Garrus?"

"It's just that…I've finally got you back and now I have to leave you again."

Shepard placed her hands on his shoulders and gazed at him intensely and lovingly. It was the same look she gave him when she called the emergency evac back in London. He avoided eye contact with her, not wanting to relive that memory over again.

"Garrus, look at me," he couldn't help but obey, "I'm right here, and I'm not leaving you again like I did before. We'll be apart for a few short days, but that's it. If anything bad happens between now and then, I swear I will wreak havoc on this galaxy until I'm back in your arms. I can't imagine my life without you, Garrus."

Garrus fingered through Shepard's loose locks, "You're right. I'm over thinking it. Promise me to vid call me at least once a day? For my sake?"

"I promise," she smiled.

* * *

"You know, Commander, I understand that Spectres are above the law and all, but I don't think that allows them to physically abuse fellow crew mates, especially the pilot," Joker complained. Kaidan had apparently smacked Joker's arm when he suggested holding off on leaving the Kite's Nest system. Of course, Joker had an "eloquent" way of wording things, which resulted in Kaidan's "punch" to his arm.

"You should have respected your commanding officer, Joker," Shepard came back at him. Then she turned to Kaidan, "And you should have known better. Now you two kiss and make up and let's get moving."

She walked over to the airlock to meet Garrus. He took her hands into his.

"I'll see you on Palaven soon. It'll be nice to see it when it's not burning."

"When we have more time, I'll have to show you around. I think you'll like it, minus the heat," his mandibles flared.

They finally parted and Garrus moved to the airlock. She ordered Ba'el to go with him to undock the _Inquisitor_ with the _Havincaw_ and dock to the _Normandy._ While Ba'el was busy doing that, she had Kaidan debrief her on everything she missed while she was gone. That would easily take up the three hours it would require to get back to Earth.

Kaidan didn't spare any details and was very thorough with is narrative. He began with the destruction of the geth, including EDI, right after the activation of the Crucible. He didn't press Shepard on her decision and she was glad he didn't. She wasn't in the mood to have to explain the carnage that day dealt to her.

He also mentioned the Citadel orbiting Earth and the rebuilding of the massive space station. The Presidium and the more commercial wards were already reconstructed but the lower wards were still obliterated. The Council upped their numbers to five, finally adding the krogan to their ranks. Kaidan wasn't sure who the krogan Councilor was, since the addition was recent and he hadn't visited the Citadel in a few months. The quarians and the volus were also attempting to join the Council, with negative results.

She asked if Kaidan knew about her status as a Spectre. He said that the Council had only declared her MIA, which was better than the KIA they gave her four years ago, so there was still hope for reinstatement without too much of a hassle.

She then inquired if Kaidan, or someone he knew, had a spare omni-tool. She had a little project in mind, and luckily Kaidan had one he wasn't using.

Unexpectedly, she found she had about an hour till they reached Earth, so she decided to see how Genie and Ba'el were settling in. She dropped into life support first but Ba'el was nowhere to be found. She had a good idea of where he was and headed down to the engineering deck to starboard cargo. Shepard's suspicions were correct and walked in to Ba'el and Genie pushing containers to the back of the room.

"Oh, hey Shepard!" Genie greeted her.

"Seems like you're settling in quite well. What are you two doing, exactly?"

"We're moving some things around. Whoever was in this room last made a mess. There were files and pictures plastered all over the walls, papers crumpled on the floor, and boxes all over the place. Luckily there's a garbage disposal on the back wall. I've been ejecting trash out the airlock all night long."

Shepard shook her head with a smile on her face. The room was a massive improvement compared to what it looked like with its past two tenants. The room was mostly empty, save for a few things strewn on the desk and whatever was in the boxes Genie was trying to dispose of.

"Do you think I could get some studio mirrors and a barre installed in here?" Genie pointed over to the empty wall space that expanded the majority of the room.

"I don't see why not. I can put a requisitions order in for it. Speaking of which, I'll need to get some accounts created for you both and wire some funds into it. The work you two will do on this ship will earn you credits. I'll be sure to have them set up before we leave Earth," Shepard paused for a moment in thought, then continued, "Also, you both will accompany me groundside when we land. We'll be repeating this information to all the leaders of the galaxy, so get used to the redundancy. I suggest you two gear up while we're at Alliance headquarters after our meeting with Admiral Hackett. Ground missions can always go sideways so I need you two prepared for anything."

"_Understood, Shepard,"_ Ba'el acknowledged.

"And Ba'el," Shepard turned to address the Andona, "I've got a job for you. I've got an omni-tool I'd like you to modify a bit. I'm not sure if you have similar technology back home but I hope you can work some modifications in for me."

She handed the device to him and he gave it a quick look-over.

"_We do have a similar technology to this. We call it an extrapolator_. _What kind of work were you looking to have done on it?"_

"I was hoping you could splice the tech from the omni-tool with the tech from the _Inquisitor's_ communication systems. I'd like to be able to communicate back with Victrol while using a system that's easily compatible with the technology here in the Milky Way. And if you can work in visual communications, that would be wonderful."

Ba'el looked back down at the omni-tool, then up to Shepard, and down to the device again, _"I don't think it'll be a problem. I'll start working on it immediately. When would you like it back?"_

"We'll make a quick stop at the Citadel after we finish up on Earth, so before then. And Genie," she grabbed the girl's attention, "If you still have that other translator of yours, I'll need to borrow it. I'll explain the details later."

"Sure thing," she moved over to her desk and grabbed the tiny piece of technology, "And you can keep it. I never had much use for it to begin with."

"Thanks," Shepard gave a thankful smile, "I'll leave you to finish moving things around. Just don't throw anything important away."

"Gotcha, Shepard," Genie waved as Shepard left the room.

There was still enough time for Shepard to make one visit on the ship. She decided to pop into the med bay and check in on Dr. Chakwas. It had been a long overdue visit with the good doctor.

"Shepard! It's so good to see you again," Chakwas greeted her as she swiveled her chair around to face the Commander, "I feel like it may be a stupid question to ask, but how you are doing?"

Shepard pulled up a chair next to Chakwas and sat down, "For all intents and purposes, I'm feeling quite fine. The cybernetics have been doing their job well enough."

"Speaking of which, I'd like to give you a full medical scan and check all your cybernetics when we're on our way to Palaven. Who knows what they've been doing without proper examination for a year and a half."

"Damn, I walked right into that one, didn't I?" Shepard suddenly regretted mentioning her artificial engineering. She let out a deep sigh and accepted her fate, "Ok, doc, you win. I don't think you'll find anything abnormal with them though. The people back in the Inar Galaxy took good care of them."

"Kaidan was telling me about that. The Inar Galaxy, I mean. So was he correct when he said we have one of their species aboard the _Normandy?"_

"Yeah, we do. He's taken on a human exoskin while he's here, so don't expect anything strangely alien when you see him. Maybe, if you ask nice enough, he'll show you what he really looks like. Hell, you two could probably exchange notes. He's a xenobiologist."

"Really?" Shepard saw light glow in the doctor's eyes. Ever since her service on the SR-1, Chakwas' medical curiosity grew towards alien species. Working with them hands-on was more than she could ever hope to have learned in med school. "Then I'll have to talk with him. Thanks, Commander, for dropping by."

Shepard gave Chakwas a firm grip on her shoulder, "It was good seeing you again, Dr. Chakwas."

* * *

Vancouver looked much better now than it did when Shepard first left Earth. The city was steadily rebuilding itself from the Reaper's destruction and almost looked like it did before the invasion.

The _Normandy_ made her approach to the docking bay at the Alliance headquarters. Kaidan, Ba'el, and Genie waited with Shepard at the airlock, waiting for the button on the door to turn green. After a long hiss and a ping, the shore party moved out.

They didn't get but a few steps away from the ship before they were greeted by Admiral Steven Hackett himself. Hackett's appearance was seemingly the same as it ever had been. He was in his best service dress blues which were decorated by the array of medals and ribbons the man rightfully earned. His face, on the other hand, was worn and tired. His eyes were sunken and his cheeks gaunt.

Regardless of his changed facial appearances, the admiral's presence was still foreboding and Kaidan and Shepard stopped promptly in their tracks and gave a salute to the admiral.

"Alenko. Shepard," Hackett greeted them. "It's been too long, Shepard. I'm sure you have an extravagant story as to why you've been MIA for nearly two years."

Shepard wasn't sure if the tone of his voice was sarcastic or chastising. She decided to assume the latter.

"There's a very good reason, sir. I would never abandon the Alliance."

"Let's take this to my office. And who are these two people?" Admiral Hackett motioned at Genie and Ba'el.

"They're part of the reason I was gone so long. I'll explain everything when we get to your office," Shepard answered.

* * *

Shepard retold her story the same way she had with Garrus and Kaidan. Hackett didn't ask any questions though. He sat behind his desk, staring at her with a contemplative look on his face. He didn't even mention anything when Genie and Ba'el were brought into the equation.

After she finished, a cold silence filled the room. Shepard desperately wanted Hackett to say something, _anything_, in response. He stood up from his desk and moved in front of it.

"That's some tale, Shepard. Most men would brand you crazy and leave it at that. With you, though, it makes sense. The Reapers didn't make sense at first and when we did finally understand them, it was too late. I can't afford to make the same mistake again. Did you have a plan in mind to counteract the second wave of Reapers?"

She nodded, "I do, and it'll take the entire galaxy again to pull it off," she took in a deep breath, hoping that the admiral would agree to her plan, "I need a fleet of my own; a fleet which will incorporate all species in the galaxy, whether they're a Council race or not. This fleet will answer to the galaxy's races, and not just a particular faction. I also will need a reconstruction of the Crucible. Either that or fix the old one. The plan is to launch multiple Crucibles in Dark Space right at their HQ."

"That's a pretty tall order, Shepard."

"I understand, sir. We need both of these if we're going to be able to take the fight to the Reapers. I wouldn't be asking this if I didn't think it could be done." Shepard could feel herself shaking a bit from the anticipation for Hackett's response.

"This fleet is going to need an admiral to lead it. I think you'd fit the bill nicely," a smile widened across his face.

"Sir?"

"You heard me right, Shepard. I'm promoting you to Admiral. Hell, it's the least you deserve after all you've done for the galaxy."

Shepard was astounded. She never thought she make Admiral in her military career. She was Commander Shepard for so long, the word "admiral" didn't quite sound the same, but it was something she'd have to get used to.

"Thank you, sir," was all she could muster to say in response.

"You've got a galaxy to save again, Admiral. Be sure to drop by the Requisitions Office and get some new uniforms and equipment before you go off-world." Admiral Hackett raised his hand and saluted her.

Shepard soundlessly returned the salute and left Hackett's office with Kaidan, Genie, and Ba'el in tow.

She was sure the trio was giving her congratulations but she wasn't paying attention to them. Her mind raced with thoughts of being an Admiral. It was an honorable title as well as one with high responsibility. She acted as a commanding officer for most of her career so ordering troops wasn't anything new.

It was the scale of which she'd be commanding that would be.

She knew she would command the fleet if she was able to assemble it but it was something about the title of Admiral that changed everything she previously planned.

Before she knew it, she was at the Requisitions Office. She placed in an order for new uniforms as well as new N7 armor and weapons and had them sent to her cabin. She also set up the accounts she talked about with Ba'el and Genie and let them place any orders for supplies they needed. As she finished up her final orders, she heard someone call out from behind her.

"Hey, Lola!"


	11. Chapter 11 - The Council

**A/N: Hello everyone! First off, I would like to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story so far. Your support and comments mean a lot to me and they keep me going. So don't forget to R&R please! I'd love to hear from you. Tell me how I'm doing, give me a critique, or even leave a suggestion for part of the story. I'm open to suggestions and will give credit where it's due.**

** This chapter is a bit shorter than my other ones and may seem rushed. I'm trying to get past all these pesky technicalities so I can progress to the all the fun and action. Thank you for bearing with me through all of this. The story will gain more momentum with the next few chapters, so get ready.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Lola!"

James Vega came up from behind Shepard and extended his hand out to greet her. She noticed the memorable red and white striped markings on the armor on his arm and her eyes followed the pattern until she had his entire body in view. James wore the ever familiar N7 armor she was accustomed to wearing. She was glad he got through the program. He deserved the honor of being an N7.

"Welcome to the ranks, Mr. Vega," she said as she returned his greeting, "How long has it been since you became an N7?"

James smiled, "Only a few months. Surprisingly, the villa outside of Rio de Janeiro wasn't touched by the Reapers so they had all of their equipment functional. The city was a little beaten up, but nothing compared to here or London. So, I heard they promoted you to Admiral."

"News travels fast, doesn't it?" she laughed, "I was just putting in some uniform, armor, and weapon orders just for the occasion."

"It'll be nice to see that Admiral's uniform on you, Lola. It'll be sexier than that other Alliance dress you wore during the Summit," James flirted.

"You just don't know when to quit, do you, Mr. Vega?" she teased back.

"It's just my nature," he shrugged.

Shepard decided to turn the conversation towards more pressing matters, "I assume Kaidan gave you the low-down on everything? Once my orders have been transferred onto the _Normandy_, we'll head off to the Citadel and then Palaven. I hope you've got everything you'll need for the trip."

"I've got my foot locker setting outside the _Normandy's_ docking bay. I'm ready for duty," he saluted.

* * *

It didn't take long to get from Earth to the Citadel. The giant space station looked a lot different with the Crucible extending from it. Shepard wondered if they tried to incorporate the Crucible into the Citadel or if they just left it alone after the war was over.

Upon docking, Shepard had Genie and Ba'el accompany her while she let the rest of the crew to wonder around and gather any supplies they would need. On their way to the Council Tower and Chambers, Ba'el handed her omni-tool back.

"_It didn't take much time to splice everything together. Everything you requested is on the omni-tool. I tried out the vid comm with Victrol on our trip here and everything is functional. I told him that you may be calling him within the next few hours, so he'll be on standby."_

Shepard was impressed. The Andona proved to be crafty, especially under such a time crunch. She took the omni-tool and placed it on her arm. It was nice to have the familiar piece of tech back on her skin. Some sort of normalcy came back to her.

The reconstruction of the tower must have been a top priority because nothing seemed to change. The same cherry blossoms were in the same spot in full bloom and the pristine white tiling looked like it never was touched by the war.

When Shepard approached the Petitioner's Stage, she only noticed four Councilors. Sparatus, Tevos, and Valren were still there, with Dominic Osoba, whom Shepard assumed took over the role of human Councilor after Udina died. The krogan Councilor was missing at the moment.

"Ah, Commander Shepard. Have you been resurrected from the dead again?" Sparatus criticized.

Shepard opened her mouth to give a curt reply but Dominic Osoba got a word in before her.

"That's _Admiral_ Shepard to you, Councilor Sparatus."

"Admiral? I'm glad to hear it, Shepard," said a familiar voice from behind her.

Urdnot Bakara walked past her and turned to give Shepard a welcoming bow of her head. The majority of her face was still covered and her clothing had more earthy tones than the last time she saw her. Nonetheless, they were gorgeous.

"Bakara!" Shepard said, her arms opening to greet the krogan, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the krogan Councilor now. Everyone else's minds move like a _klixen_, so I was the only one capable of accepting the job."

"How's Wrex and the rest of Tuchanka doing?"

Before Bakara could give her reply, Valren interrupted, "Can we save the pleasantries for later? We have some pressing matters to discuss today."

Bakara gave Shepard a small nod, indicating that she would tell her stories later. Valren opened his mouth to start the Council meeting but Shepard repaid the favor to Valren by interjecting, "Excuse me, Councilors, but I would like to request the presence of all the embassies to sit in on this meeting."

"For what reason? Plus, I'm sure all the ambassadors are too busy at the moment to even attend," Sparatus spat his response.

"You don't know unless you try contacting them," Shepard retorted.

"I think Shepard has a valid point," Tevos finally spoke up, "There would be no harm done in contacting the ambassadors."

Valren, Dominic, and Bakara gave Tevos an accepting nod then Sparatus finally gave in and nodded too. Tevos brought up her omni-tool and typed a few things on it. "We will wait a few minutes to see if any ambassadors show up."

It didn't take long for them to file in. The volus, elcor, and hanar ambassadors joined the meeting. There was even a quarian representative, or maybe he was an ambassador. Perhaps they restored their embassy rights after the Reaper War.

Shepard wished she could have taken a picture of Sparatus' face when the ambassadors arrived. He was so dumbfounded when they walked up to the podium. He was naïve to think they wouldn't accept the invitation Tevos sent.

"This one thanks the Council for letting this one sit in," the hanar ambassador spoke.

"Yes. I was quite…shocked. This must be…serious," the volus ambassador added. Shepard recognized his voice and remembered he was Ambassador Din Korlack. She gathered the elcor to be Ambassador Calyn and she was right when he and Din burst out into a small argument about Councilor admission.

Tevos quickly ended the argument and motioned the four newcomers to take their place around the stage for the meeting.

"Now that _everyone_ is here, we shall begin this meeting," Sparatus seethed.

"Yes. Shepard, I would first like to congratulate you on your recent promotion," Tevos began," Now, I'm sure you have an explanation as to your absence for the past year and a half."

"I do, Councilor. This will all seem farfetched, so I ask that everyone, including the ambassadors, hear me out before criticizing what I'm going to say."

Shepard was sure she would have the krogan support and she already had the humans'. It was the original three Councilors she had to convince.

Tevos gave her a nod, telling her to begin.

"As I'm sure everyone knows, after I activated the Crucible, the Citadel exploded. I would have died, except I was rescued by a foreign race. As it so happens to be, this race exists in the next galaxy over. That is why I was gone for so long. This race of people are called the Andona and they live in what we know as the Andromeda Galaxy. They, however, call it the Inar Galaxy. There are also other sentient races that coexist in this galaxy and basically, they wish to extend intergalactic relations with us. This is one of the main reasons why I am here today, but the biggest reason is to tell you the Reapers are back."

A still silence filled the room as she took a deep breath but she continued nonetheless.

"There are more out in Dark Space, ready to invade our galaxy again. I need the Council's cooperation to take them out again. This time, we need to take the fight to the Reapers. We need to use the Crucible again to eradicate them once and for all. The races in the Inar Galaxy will also work on a Crucible and the plan is to launch them simultaneously right at home."

Her silence was a sign she was done with this part and ready to take questions. Sparatus, of course, was the first one to ask.

"How do we even know if these races you speak of exist? Only you have seen them!"

A scheming smile spread across her face, "Since I know how you all love proof, I've gathered some irrefutable evidence to convince you otherwise. Little do you know, an Andona is standing in our presence."

The Councilors and Ambassadors looked around at each other, trying to decipher what Shepard was saying.

She continued, "Ba'el, could you deactivate your cloak for a bit?"

The seemingly human male stepped forward then pressed a few buttons on his cloaking tool. The second the cloak dropped, gasps could be heard throughout the room. After a few minutes, he replaced his human cloak.

This did not, unfortunately, impress Sparatus, "He could be cloaked as something unfamiliar just to appear alien."

Shepard also had an answer to that too, "Alright then. How about this? I'm going to bring up another person on vid comm. His race is called Milrana, a rodent-like species. He's been my liaison while I've been traveling back here," she turned to Genie briefly, "I'll need you to translate what I say for Victrol, please."

Genie nodded and positioned herself beside Shepard. Shepard opened up her omni-tool and contacted Victrol. She was thankful to see the scientist's image pop up in response.

"Good to see you, Victrol. Long time no see."

Genie translated what she just said.

Victrol took a look around before he spoke, nose moving about, "I assume this is your galaxy's government. It's quite impressive."

"Shocked – what language are they speaking?" Calyn asked.

"It's called Milranian. My friend here, Genie, is fluent in Andonian and Tundsali, a language spoken by a reptilian-like race, and is proficient in Milranian, the language you hear now," she answered, "And if I need to convince you further, I have one of their translators to help you understand their conversation. Here, Sparatus, I believe you need this the most."

She tossed the translator to the turian and he fumbled a bit trying to catch it. Shepard asked Genie and Victrol to continue talking on whatever they deemed fit. Sparatus seemed reluctant to use the device but eventually gave in.

His eyes widened and his mandibles flared out when he placed the device in his ear.

"I…I don't know what to say, Shepard."

"Have I convinced you of their existence, at least?"

Sparatus removed the translator from his ear and admitted, "Yes. Yes you have."

Shepard asked if anyone else needed proof of the Inar species' existence but no one obliged. Shepard decided to end the vid call and told Victrol she would be contacting him again soon.

"In order to make interactions between all of our species easier, Genie is working on Inar language updates for our translators. In turn, I'd like to have an up-to-date file of your species' languages to give to them so they can update their translators. They would also like to send diplomats here to discuss intergalactic relations. Would this be something the Council would be interested in?" Shepard held her breath, waiting for their response.

The five Councilors softly spoke with each other before Valren responded, "The Council has foolishly ignored your warnings about the Reapers the past three times you've approached us about it. It would be a mistake to ignore them for a fourth time. We agree to welcome these diplomats. We would also like to send diplomats of our own, but we have some reservations. Travel between our galaxies will take a considerable amount of time and we also are nervous about sending our own into uncharted territory."

Luckily, Shepard relieved their uncertainty by explaining the comm buoys and the new links between the mass relays and the transporters. She also suggested sending someone with the diplomats to the Inar Galaxy; someone they, and Shepard, could trust. There was only one person who came to mind immediately; Kaidan. The Council agreed he would be an acceptable choice to escort the diplomats but since he was not currently present, they would discuss his involvement later.

"We would also like to support your Crucible project, Comman…Admiral," Tevos caught herself, "The Crucible has barely been touched since you activated it and I see no problem with moving it, and the Citadel, when the time comes. However, we'd like to try to fix the exploding problem. We'd prefer to not have to reconstruct for a third time. Now, if there isn't any more business you have with us, I believe we can draw this meeting to a close."

"I'd like to know Earth-clan…why you brought us ambassadors here," Din interjected.

Shepard sighed, "There was another thing I wanted to talk with everyone about. I've gotten approval by the Alliance and would appreciate everyone's races' support."

She outlined her plan for the fleet to everyone. She made it clear it would answer to all the species and not one particular government. She requested any ships, soldiers, and resources from anyone who could provide them. She also detailed how each species would be able to contribute, so races like the elcor and volus, who wouldn't have any soldiers to give, could play an equal part using their economic expertise.

"I don't like the idea. There are too many variables," Valren vetoed.

"Oh, don't act like a pyjak, Valren. It's basically a bigger version of the Spectres," Bakara rebuked.

"Supportive – I think it's a wonderful idea. It gives a chance for non-council races to contribute to the galaxy," Calyn agreed.

Shepard looked around to see approving nods from everyone else.

"Seems like you're the odd one out, Valren," Dominic teased.

The salarian let out a huge sigh, "Fine, you have my support. If anything goes wrong, I'll be the one to tell you 'told you so.'"

"Do you have a name for this fleet, Admiral?" Bakara inquired.

She hadn't actually come up with something to call it. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"The Armada."

It could have been better, but it was a working title.

"Very well," Tevos chimed in, "Then I officially draw this particular meeting to a close. Shepard, if you will, could you stay behind to discuss sending our diplomats with Spectre Alenko?"

She shrugged, "Sure. Shall I send him a message or will you summon him?"

"I've already requested his presence. He should be here presently," Tevos replied.

The ambassadors took this pause to return to their embassies, leaving the Councilors and Shepard's team behind. Moments later, Kaidan made his entrance.

"Councilors," he greeted.

"Mr. Alenko, a certain idea proposed itself during our previous discussion. The Council has decided to send diplomats to the Inar Galaxy to represent our government and they will send theirs. However, we are uncomfortable with the idea of sending our people into uncharted territory. That is why we elected you to escort them. You are a Spectre we trust and a comrade Shepard trusts. Would this be something you'd be interested in?" Valren questioned.

"So I take it your plan worked, Shepard," he smiled. She returned the gesture and added, "This will happen after our side mission. I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun there."

Kaidan gave the idea some thought before finally responding, "It would be an honor, Councilors. I understand that intergalactic cooperation is imperative to destroying the Reapers."

"Then it's settled. We should start deciding who we will send to represent us," Dominic suggested.

"Genie, is there any way to get those translator updates sooner?" Shepard asked.

"Hmm, I might be able to pull some strings with some old contacts. If so, I should have all four languages finished in a few weeks."

"Good. I would like daily progress reports. Ba'el, help her with anything she needs to finish this," Shepard ordered.

"_Aye, ma'am_."

"Oh, one more thing, Admiral," Bakara spoke up, "I think it would only be right to reinstate your Spectre status, since you are no longer MIA."

"Agreed," Dominic added, "We are also looking to add a couple more humans to the Spectres. If you have any recommendations, Admiral Shepard, the Council will take them into serious consideration."

"I'll be sure to send them to your inbox, Councilor Osoba," she reassured him.

She was relieved to know that her meeting with the Council went off without a hitch. Now she could tackle the CAT6 situation with a clear mind. Without any further dealings with the Council, they adjourned the meeting and she, and the rest of her crew, returned to the _Normandy_. All that was left to do was to pick up Garrus and Tali, then rain on some terrorist's parade.


	12. Chapter 12 - Preparations

The countdown until Shepard arrived on Palaven unnerved Garrus. He always hated waiting and this was no exception. The _Havincaw_ docked back on Cipritine yesterday and Garrus impatiently sat in his apartment, waiting for the _Normandy_, and Shepard, to whisk him away on another adventure. Spirits, he was such a romantic about these kinds of things.

He also waited for Solana and Acanthus to come over, wanting to debrief them, off the record, about joining the _Normandy_ crew. He made a quick mention of it to them right before docking and then mentioned to the rest of his crew he would take a leave of absence as the _Havincaw's_ captain due to official Spectre business. It was nice to have friends in high places.

What were mere minutes seemed like hours to Garrus before his sister and Acanthus arrived at his apartment. Solana was dressed in her civvies, naturally, while Acanthus arrived in full armor. Garrus wasn't too surprised at his sartorial choice, seeing as the young turian didn't know his captain on a personal level, and the fact he was just assigned to the _Havincaw_, and then reassigned to the _Normandy_. Informalities would only be awkward for him.

"Come on in, you two," Garrus motioned them inside.

"Oh, this is going to be so exciting!" Solana gleefully jumped, "Are we really going to serve under _the_ Commander Shepard?"

Garrus couldn't help but smile, "Yes, we are. She's truly a remarkable woman and someone who can command without fault. I expect only the best from you two while you are under her command."

"Aye, sir," Acanthus quickly answered. Solana just continued to smile.

"Is she really like how all the vids portray her?" Acanthus continued.

"_She's more than that,"_ Garrus was about to say. He held his tongue, though, not wanting to explain the implications of those words. Instead, he responded, "She's a strong woman. I honestly think the news doesn't give her enough credit for what she has done. You'll understand when you meet her."

"So when are we leaving?" Solana quickly switched subjects.

"Shepard said they expect to be here late this evening. I got word not too long ago that they just left the Citadel," Garrus remembered their vid call earlier in the morning. Garrus couldn't pinpoint it exactly but Shepard sounded a bit giddy when they talked. He wasn't sure if she was drunk or not and he wasn't able to pry into what made her smile so much. All she said was, "_It's a surprise."_

He didn't like surprises. But then again, when they came from Shepard, they were always good.

"I assume you have all your gear and are ready to go?" he continued.

"Of course," Solana went a bit on the defensive, "I had everything packed the moment I got back to the house yesterday."

Garrus looked over to Acanthus, who simply nodded, yes. Garrus could tell it would take a while for Acanthus to loosen up. He hid well beneath his curt exterior.

Deciding not to waste any more time, he began to disclose the mission details about CAT6 and infiltrating their base. The mission was going to be dangerous, no doubt, but he reassured the two that he specifically chose them for this because of their skill sets and how they would be valuable assets overall to the _Normandy_ team.

Garrus didn't bring up Acanthus' past as a Cabal, deciding to discuss it with him in private once they were aboard the ship. He was sure Shepard would want to sit in on the conversation too. A biotic turian outside of the Cabal was extremely suspicious but Garrus had a gut feeling that there was something more to it, but not necessarily anything disheartening. In fact, having another biotic on board would be a good idea.

Finally, the call Garrus waited for came through. His omni-tool flashed with an incoming call from Shepard.

"_Hey, Garrus. We're approaching Palaven right now. Are you and your crew ready?"_ Shepard's voice came through.

"Yeah. I'm finishing up my meeting with them right now. We'll gather our gear and head over to the docks right now."

"_Sounds good. I'll see you all in about a half an hour. Shepard out." _

Garrus looked to Acanthus and Solana. He lifted his right arm and pointed behind his shoulder, "You heard her. Let's move out."

* * *

Garrus knew he was on the _Normandy_ only a couple of days ago but being back on board felt like seeing an old friend after a few decades. Shepard, naturally, was at the airlock to greet them in her Alliance casuals.

"Welcome back, Garrus. And welcome to the _Normandy_, Solana and Acanthus," she greeted and gave firm handshakes to the new members.

Acanthus and Solana had their footlockers and gear strapped to them while Garrus equally had the same amount of gear but also had a space hamster in tow. The little guy was in a small cage and curled up in a corner. He was a shy creature and didn't like the fact he didn't have a house to hide in, feeling exposed to the world.

Shepard's eyes lit up when she saw her hamster and she let out a light gasp.

"And welcome back to you too, Mr. Snuggles!" she baby talked as she snagged the cage from Garrus. He looked back at the other two turians and saw the obvious eyebrow plate raising. All he could do to keep from laughing was to shake his head. What a perfect first impression she was making.

"Let's move into the CIC and we can decide where you can place your gear at," Shepard continued, returning to her normal, commander, voice.

The party aptly followed Shepard over to the galaxy map where she comfortably leaned against her private terminal desk and set her hamster beside her.

"I'm not terribly strict on my ship and I allow my squad mates to choose where they want to stay. Not all the rooms are vacant, but a good majority of them are. Do you two have any preferences?" she directed her question towards Acanthus and Solana.

Solana was quick to answer, "I would prefer to be close to the med-bay, if I can."

Shepard was just as quick with her response, "The former AI core is located right behind the med-bay if you're looking to be that close, as long as you don't mind a bunch of defunct equipment."

Garrus could see the hurt in Shepard's eyes and caught the slight waiver in her voice when she said, "defunct equipment." The loss of EDI must have hit her hard and she was trying to put the AI's unfortunate demise behind her.

"That'll work for me," Solana came back, oblivious to the break in Shepard's voice. Garrus was thankful for that. Having Acanthus and Solana doubt her abilities was the last thing Garrus wanted for her.

"And what about you, Acanthus?" Shepard turned toward the other turian.

"Is there a place aboard without a lot of traffic coming through?"

"There's space underneath Main Engineering that not many people explore. It's not the most quiet place, given the thrum of the ship's engines, but I guarantee almost no one will go down there to disturb you."

"It will suffice. Thank you, Commander."

Shepard hesitated, "About that. It's, uh, Admiral now. Though, Shepard is still fine by me."

"Admiral?" Garrus's jaw dropped, "Don't tell me _this_ was the surprise you were talking about."

The widest grin grew across her smug face.

"Well then, I guess congratulations are in order. I really shouldn't be thrown off by it too much. You did save the entire galaxy from the Reapers, with some help, of course," Garrus faked a small cough with the last bit, "But still, it's a complete turnaround from _Commander_."

"Yeah, but Admiral is a better fit, especially when I start building the Armada."

The three turians all cocked their heads slightly at Shepard's last word.

"Sorry, Shepard, I think my translator just glitched. What was that last word you said?" Garrus asked.

"It's the name of the fleet I'm putting together. The name comes from a sixteenth century Spanish fleet. However, instead of going down in flames like the original did, we're going to defeat the Reapers. Now, why don't you three get settled in?" Shepard switched gears, "We're heading to Rannoch next to pick up Tali and then we'll go over the specifics on the CAT6 HQ infiltration. Go ahead and get yourselves familiar with the ship, Solana and Acanthus. It'll be about another day till we reach Rannoch."

* * *

Part way through the trip to Rannoch, Shepard decided to go visit Joker. She needed to tell him about EDI - no, what she did to EDI, now. The guilt over it had eaten away at her and she needed to get her confession off of her chest. She was worried what Joker's reaction to the situation would be but felt it would be better to talk to him now instead of later, or worse, him finding out about it from someone other than herself.

As Shepard entered the cock pit, Joker quipped, "I'm really glad to have Garrus back on board, Shepard, but one turian with a stick up his ass is bad enough. You had to go and bring two more on board. Before you know it, we're all going to be bludgeoned to death."

Shepard simply rolled her eyes and smiled. For a second, her nervousness went away. She missed his sarcastic remarks and was glad to hear them again. However, just as quickly the calm took her, the storm crashed in and she was left again with her nerves.

"Joker, I wanted to talk to you about EDI," she began.

Joker held his hand up to stop her from continuing, "I'm ok, Shepard. It was hard at first to lose her, but I've moved on. I try to remember the good times with her instead of dwelling on her loss."

"That's not what I meant. I need to tell you…"

_Tali'Zorah to the _Normandy_. Come in, _Normandy_. I'm ready for an immediate pick up on Rannoch._

Shepard wasn't too thrilled to have her heart-to-heart with Joker interrupted, especially when she finally built the nerve to speak to him about EDI, but hearing Tali's warm voice over the comm wasn't too uninviting.

"Tali! It's been too long," Shepard answered with warmth in her voice.

_Shepard! I'm so glad to hear your voice and to know you're not dead_.

"It'll take more than a Reaper war to kill me," Shepard morbidly joked.

_Either way, it'll be good to be back on the _Normandy_. As much as I enjoy my home here on Rannoch, I really hate dealing with the Admiralty Board. Politics are the worst._

"Aren't they? Anyways, we'll be there soon. Tell the Admiralty Board 'thank you' for letting you join me again."

_I will. In all honesty, it's the least they could do for everything you've done for our people._

"See you soon, Tali."

_See you, Shepard._

After the transmission cut off, Joker turned to Shepard and asked, "So, what were you going to say before Tali butted in?"

She knew he was going to ask that but she lost the guts to talk about it.

"I'll talk with you later about it. We need to pick up Tali and get this mission on the way," she shrugged it off.

"Oookay, then," he said and returned to his business with the flight control panel. She cursed to herself as she walked away.

* * *

The sight of her quarian friend made her more excited than she already was. Tali was like a sister to Shepard and the two hugged each other when Tali stepped on board. Shepard was slightly saddened to see Tali in her usual envirosuit but knew that it would take a few more years until the quarians could walk on Rannoch without them. She looked forward to the day when she could see her friend's real face.

"I'll go ahead and get settled in Main Engineering," Tali said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Go on ahead," Shepard replied, "I'm having a squad meeting in the war room in twenty. Could you run a quick diagnostics on the engines and have that for me by then?"

"Sure thing. I'll be back up in a few minutes."

Shepard moved on to the war room and took her place at the head of the giant consol. The memories of standing here during the Reaper War returned to her. She remembered spending countless of sleepless nights in front of the panel, making sure all her war assets were ready. She wasn't looking forward to those kinds of days again with the upcoming battle with the rest of the Reapers.

Within the next few minutes, James, Solana, Genie, and Ba'el came into the room. Moments later, Garrus and Kaidan walked in, then Acanthus and Tali filing in last.

Tali handed Shepard a data pad with what she requested and Shepard gave it a quick look over. The _Normandy_ was running at optimum levels but Tali suggested a few minor upgrades to really maximize the engine capacity. Shepard mentally noted the request and turned her focus to the meeting at hand.

"Let's get this meeting started," Shepard initialized, "I'm very glad to see all the old faces here, but I also welcome our new companions to the Normandy. We don't have time for any pleasantries, but I suggest everyone to get acquainted with each other during our off time, if you haven't already."

She glanced over to Kaidan and nodded, letting him take over the meeting since he was the one who originally was going to run the mission. He also was the one with all the data files from Liara about the CAT6 base.

"The base is located in Garvug, which isn't too far from here. However, all the mass relays haven't been fixed and unfortunately for us, the one in the Vahallen Threshold hasn't been repaired. So what would normally be a four hour trek will take us a day and a half with FTL drives at the max. Tali, make sure the engines don't give out on us and keep an eye at the fuel levels."

Tali nodded and motioned at Shepard and the data pad in her hand, "Got it. I ran a diagnostics on the ship and handed it to Shepard just now. You are free to take a look at it. I'm sure we'll have plenty of fuel to get there, but I'll be watchful, just in case."

Kaidan replied to her with an affirmative nod.

"Good. Now, Liara sent me the schematics of the base where she tracked the email signal from," Kaidan brought up the hologram of the floor plans in the center of the room, "It's a decent sized facility but we should expect it to be heavily guarded. There are ten rooms as well as two storage units outside. I had a plan of attack in mind, but I think it would be better to see if Shepard had a particular one in mind."

As he talked, Shepard analyzed the layout. She quickly came up with a plan, knowing exactly how to tackle it, "It's going to be all hands on deck for this one. If we place the LZ here, near this forested area, we should have decent coverage. It's a few klicks away from the base but it should work out nicely.

Since there are nine of us, we should split into three teams of three. I'll take in a distraction team and make a B-line to the base entrance. James and Solana, you'll be with me. We'll deal as much damage as we can up front and keep the guards distracted. Kaidanm you will take an infiltration team into the side of the building and get the front doors open for the rest of us as well as secure the area inside the main door. Garrus, you'll take a sniping team and provide my team with cover fire from above. Make sure you stay close too, because we need to get everyone in as quick as possible."

"Ok, so you've taken Solana and James. Are you assigning us our teams or do Garrus and I get to choose who we want with us," Kaidan questioned.

"You two are great leaders. I think the choice is obvious, but I'll let you choose the rest of your team," she replied.

"In that case," Garrus cut in, "I'll take Acanthus and Genie. I'd like to have a biotic on hand just in case things go sideways, and I'm not sure if Genie's combat skills are up to par for infiltration; no offence Genie."

"None taken, Garrus. I only expected as much," Genie said, waving his words off.

"Ok, so that leaves me with Tali and Ba'el. I'm sure the tactical cloak will come in handy and Tali's great with hacking," Kaidan added.

"See? You two are natural leaders. You picked exactly who I would have," Shepard reaffirmed, "Now that we have our teams, we'll make our way to the base. The plan is to get in and find out exactly what CAT6 is up to. Let's go ahead and make our final preparations; check your gear and your weapons. I'll let everyone know when it's time to suit up."

With that, the meeting ended and everyone began to file out of the war room.

Shepard couldn't recall how many pre-mission meetings she'd had in the past but this one was different. There was something about this mission that didn't sit right with her. She could only hope that things would go smoothly.

This was the world of Shepard though. Something was bound to go wrong and she could only speculate what it would be.

* * *

**A/N: So sorry for not updating sooner. The Steam summer sale got me! I'm back though, so expect more updates. I read through this chapter a few times already for mistakes, but I'm sure there are some still in here. I've been writing this chapter at work, so sometimes I get distracted with my real world duties. So please, if there are any obvious mistakes, let me know. Thank you, and please R&R!**


	13. Chapter 13 - CAT6 HQ

"Hey, Acanthus, do you have a minute?" Shepard asked, pulling the young turian aside after the meeting adjourned and everyone else cleared out.

"Of course, Admiral. What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your biotics and the Cabal, if you don't mind. I'd like a better understanding of your background and your biotic capabilities."

Acanthus' mandibles flared into a smile, "I was wondering when we'd have this conversation. You're probably a bit skeptical about me and my involvement with them."

"To put it lightly, yes. I don't know much about the Cabal, but from what I know, members rarely work outside of their jurisdiction."

"I've had biotic capabilities ever since I was a young chick, so I was taken away from my parents to the Cabal headquarters to hone and tame my abilities. I believe you humans had a similar place that you referred to as Jump Zero. Every day we trained in biotics and combat. We were groomed for battle essentially. The younger you were the more likely you'd be placed in higher command when finally join the Cabal ranks at fifteen for mandatory military service. When I started my service a few years back, I was skilled enough to lead my own squad."

"So turian biotics are strictly segregated from the rest of the Hierarchy then?"

"Yes. We're looked upon as freaks and outcasts. You're also a biotic, correct, Admiral? Did you not have a similar experience on Jump Zero?"

"I never went to Jump Zero. My biotic powers manifested later in my life and by that point, Jump Zero was shut down," Shepard explained, ""But that doesn't explain why you're not with the Cabals now," she said, switching topics.

"You simply don't get to leave the Cabals. We were always told, 'Once a Cabal, always a Cabal,' during our training. However, we can ask for leave in certain emergencies. In my case, my father was seriously hurt during a sky car accident and was granted three months leave. Ironically enough, the Reaper invasion happened about a month into my leave.

"After making sure my family got off of Palaven safely, I was sent to Manae. At that point, the Hierarchy wasn't concerned about what unit or squad you belonged to, just as long as you were there fighting. I ended up serving under General Victus the majority of my time there. When he left for the War Summit and then became Primarch, I was re-assigned to another unit. Everyone knew I was part of the Cabals but at that time, no one cared. In fact, many were fortunate I was in their unit. My biotics got us out of a lot of tight pinches.

"Long story short, the Cabals never asked me to return, for reasons unknown to me, so I just played it by the books and went wherever Victus told me to go. This eventually led me to the _Havincaw _after the war and now I'm here."

Shepard smiled and gave Acanthus a pat on the shoulder, "I see. Well, in any case, it's good to have another biotic on board. I guess we'll see what you're made of during the mission."

"I guess so. Thank you, Admiral."

* * *

They were ten minutes away from Garvung and everyone was suited up and ready to board the shuttle on Shepard's command. Cortez was in the cock pit, ready to take the squad down to the designated LZ. Shepard wondered if everyone would be able to fit into the tiny shuttle but Cortez reassured her everyone could fit, but it would be a cozy trip and they should feel lucky there wasn't a krogan on board.

Shepard mentally prepared herself like she always did before a mission. She went over the facts in her head countless times until it made her crazy. She looked over her new crew and was happy for the interesting mix of people and talents. Every tour she had on the _Normandy_ was a unique experience and this one would be no different. This mission would be the perfect opportunity to see how her new crew functioned and followed her orders.

"We're ready to go planet side, Shepard," Cortez called out to her from the cock pit.

"Alright, everyone, move out!" she ordered.

Everyone filed into the shuttle and tried their best to make room for each other. It was definitely a tight fit but everyone managed to find a comfortable place to stand or sit. Shepard was the last to enter and conveniently found a spot next to Garrus to stand in.

Cortez estimated it would take about twenty minutes to get to the LZ. Everyone began to converse with each other, mostly over skills and abilities and how what they believed CAT6 were up to. Shepard, on the other hand, mentally went through the mission brief over and over. Her thoughts were momentarily disrupted when she felt Garrus' hand fall on hers. She looked over to her turian mate and he gave her a wide smile. His smile spoke a million words of reassurance, which was exactly what she needed at the moment.

Once the shuttle landed, Shepard told everyone to keep their comms on the same frequency. Luckily for them, it was a secured channel that Tali set up.

With a simple nod, Shepard, Garrus, and Kaidan took their squads to the designated points on their maps. Garrus' team took to higher ground and set up a vantage point over the front entrance of the base while Kaidan's group slinked their way through the forest to a side entrance. Shepard and her team trudged their way forward for their frontal assault.

"Garrus, I need a head count of how many outside," Shepard requested when her team made it to the front of the entrance.

"_Looks to be about twenty men, all heavily armed."_

"Thanks, Garrus. Kaidan, how are things on your end?"

"_Going well, so far, Shepard. I've got Tali hacking into their cam systems right now."_

"Good. Be careful. We're going to light up the front of this place, so be careful of your surroundings."

"_Aye, ma'am,"_ Kaidan replied.

Shepard looked over to James and Solana with a wry smile on her face, "Alright you two, let's give these guys hell."

Shepard summoned the dark energy into her hands and lashed out a massive shockwave at the group of guards on patrol in front of her, knocking them all off their feet. She moved in with her pistol and took out the men who fell to the ground. James swept in with his M-300 Claymore in hand and sent out a wave of shots at guards who started to close in on them. He threw some frag grenades towards the feet of another wave of men and sent them flying. Solana kept the guards coming from the right under control by throwing down what looked like a pylon shield without the bulky generator. She picked off the guards methodically with this tactic. Shepard liked the idea. It wasn't something she expected from the female turian.

With the heat off of her from that side for a while, Shepard decided to engage the two guards coming right at her. She charged at them, knocking them off balance for a split second. That second was all she needed to land a Nova down on the ground, leaving them temporarily immobile. Two clean shots to the head from her Raikou pistol later and she moved on the next fools who approached her. Rinse and repeat.

_So far so good_, Shepard thought to herself, _Now let's see how they like this._

Shepard's body glowed azure. She ran forward, strategically placing herself in the middle of a barrage of ten men. As she expected, they all turned towards her and began firing. That was when she expelled a massive amount of energy, creating a powerful biotic shield. The force of the shield going up knocked all ten of them down; exactly what she wanted. James and Solana shot them, momentarily giving them a break from the assault.

"_Way to go, Shepard. I think you've managed to get every guard here running towards you. Be prepared for a group of about thirty coming at you from your ten,"_ Garrus came in, over the comm.

"Rodger that, Garrus," Shepard answered. She beckoned the dark matter once again and motioned her team forward to deal out more carnage.

* * *

"Doesn't seem like they need any help," Garrus mumbled to himself. Of course, with his luck, the moment he made the comment a massive group of back up roared towards Shepard's location.

Garrus, Genie, and Acanthus set themselves up on the hillside. It had a perfect view of the front entrance while providing natural coverage for them from the surrounding foliage.

The ruckus Shepard, James, and Solana made was entertaining, to say the least. Garrus was always fascinated with Shepard's biotic skills and this was honestly the first time he had seen her in action from this far of a distance. She plowed through the guards with ease. Shepard couldn't dance, but she sure as hell could dance on the battlefield. The grace and flow of her movements were truly a marvel and the biotics made everything she did colorful and smooth.

James and Solana were also formidable and dancing their own dance too. They skillfully used their personal tactics to take out mass amounts of guards. James' strategically placed frag grenades provided a fireworks spectacle while Solana's shields caged in her foes, allowing her to take them out one-by-one.

"Way to go, Shepard. I think you've managed to get every guard here running towards you. Be prepared for a group of about thirty coming at you from your ten," Garrus warned her after the first wave was down.

"_Rodger that, Garrus."_

"Let's pick off a few of these guys for them. I know it won't make the spectacle down there as entertaining, but we can't risk letting any of them getting hurt, even if Solana is with them," Garrus ordered to Acanthus and Genie.

"Aye, sir," and, "Gotcha," replied Acanthus and Genie, respectively.

The three of them began to deliver head shots to the guards below. Garrus glanced over to Genie briefly and watched her shooting. Garrus was honestly shocked. She was getting all head shots, even though she was going at a slower pace than Acanthus and himself.

Knowing that his team was successfully providing cover fire, he turned on his favorite song to shoot to: Blue Azure. He found it quite ironic, given the blue azure killing machine killing everything in her path down beneath him.

The steady beat of the song gave him a rhythm to aim and shoot by.

_Aim. Shoot. One. Reload._

_Aim. Shoot. Two. Reload._

_Aim. Shoot. Three. Reload._

Before Garrus knew it, the number of guards was drastically reduced and he left the rest to the Shepard's assault team.

"That was fun while it lasted," he sarcastically commented.

"Fun, sir?" Acanthus questioned.

"Of course you had fun. Listening to music while shooting would make things entertaining," Genie quipped.

Garrus was shocked, "You could hear that? Guess I need to turn down the volume on it then."

"Oh, I didn't hear your music. You just had an uncanny rhythm to your shots. That, and you were tapping your fingers slightly to the beat of something rhythmic. I just assumed it was a song. "

Garrus honestly didn't expect her to pick up on that. He was actually astonished that he tapped his fingers while he was shooting. It must have been an involuntary niche he developed.

"I never thought of using music in that way before. I'll have to pick up a visor like that next time we're by a shopping area," Genie continued to speak.

"I'm sure you'll find something, Genie. Now, let's focus back on the task at hand. It looks like the guards are thinning out. Kaidan's group should be close to unlocking those front doors," Garrus said.

* * *

Tali got them inside the facility quickly. Kaidan was always impressed with Tali's hacking skill and the proficiency and speed at which she could do it. After messing around with it for a few seconds, the button on the door turned green.

Once inside, Kaidan sent Ba'el forward to scout using his cloaking device. When he came back, he reported that there were two guards at the front entrance and a lab full of scientists in the room adjacent to the entrance foyer. Taking them out would be easy. He sent Ba'el and Tali to deal with the two men while Kaidan tossed an Arc grenade into the lab, instantly knocking the entire room out.

The area was secure but they could still hear firefight going on outside. They decided to investigate the laboratory in more detail until they got the call from Shepard to let them in. When they entered the room, the sight before them made them sick to their stomachs.

Bodies were sprawled across tables. They all had bruises and lacerations all over their bodies. It was obvious they were held captive and used as guinea pigs. All of them were cut open, exposing their innards. Some even had organs hanging out.

"The smell in here is atrocious," Tali commented. The quarian held her stomach as she tried to hold down the taste of bile.

"_I can't smell anything, but the sight of these poor beings being treated like this is sickening. I'm all for performing biopsies and autopsies, but this is unethical. Just what were they trying to achieve here?" _Ba'el added.

Kaidan's guess was as good as theirs. He had a sneaking suspicion that the experiments conducted here were a bigger part of CAT6's plan.

"Tali, get on those consoles and try to get any information about these experiments. We can take a look at the data in detail when we get back to the _Normandy_," Kaidan ordered.

"On it," she replied. She walked over to the nearest console and her fingers flew away at a lightning speed.

While she did that, Ba'el began to examine the bodies. He had never been this close to a Milky Way species' cadaver and decided to take some scans of the bodies and the conditions they were in with his new omni-tool. At first glance, it looked like the scientists were experimenting on the heart and brain. Ne noticed some neural implants in many of the bodies and found extensive cybernetics surrounding the hearts.

"_Infiltration team, this is Shepard. The area out here is secure. How are things inside?"_

"We've got the inside entrance secure, Shepard. We'll get that door opened now," Kaidan answered and motioned to Ba'el to go let the rest of the crew in.

Ba'el unlocked the massive warehouse-like doors and they creaked as they slid open inch by inch. When there was enough space for a body to fit through, Shepard and Garrus' teams swiftly entered the facility and Ba'el closed the doors after them.

Shepard waved for everyone to huddle around her, "So between my group and Garrus', I think we picked off a good chunk of security here, but we should expect just as many to be inside. The goal is to clear all the rooms until we find some answers. Kaidan, do you have any updates from in here?"

"Yeah, we do," he answered solemnly, "There's a lab right around the corner where they were conducting some sick experiments."

"I skimmed over the data they had stored and it looks like they were studying indoctrination," Tali elaborated, "But instead of studying how people were indoctrinated and how to duplicate the process, like Cerberus was, they were trying to figure out to _stop_ indoctrination."

"That doesn't exactly sound like a bad thing though," James countered.

"You're right, but their methods were a bit cruel. The bodies in the lab are all bruised and cut to pieces. They were obviously tortured," Tali retorted.

"_They also used neural implants and cybernetics on them. I don't know to what end though_," Ba'el said, sharing the information he gathered.

Shepard shook her head slightly. It was always unfortunate to come across situations like these but it was the sad fact of galactic life. There were always crazy people conducting experiments for extreme reasons. These were no different.

"So how do we tackle this place? Do we stick together and fight like a small army or split up and cover more space?" Solana asked.

"We'll stay in our groups for now," Shepard replied. She pulled up the facility map on her omni-tool and projected it for everyone to see.

"There is a room towards the back that leads to some kind of large warehouse. I bet you more than anything that we'll find all our answers in there. We'll split up and clear out all the rooms up to that point, then storm the final room together. I'll take my team through the center. Garrus, you take the left and Kaidan, you'll take the right."

The teams split up once again and moved out around the building. To Shepard's surprise, there weren't many guards left. She was expecting a similar volley of men coming at her like they did outside. Either there was something going on that she couldn't see or CAT6 was just that unorganized. The former seemed most likely.

Getting through the rooms was a cake walk. She didn't even need to use her biotics. When she, Solana and James made it to the rendezvous point, Kaidan, Ba'el and Tali were already there waiting. Garrus, Genie and Acanthus weren't too far behind them, rejoining the group a few minutes later.

Shepard stayed silent as she led her squad through the final set of doors. They entered a massive warehouse but the majority of it was empty. There were a few shuttles on the far side of the room and a few crates with cryptic writing piled against the walls.

"Shepard! This is such a pleasant surprise!"

She instantly knew that voice. It was a voice she hadn't heard for many years. In fact, the last time she heard it was in a lab facility with the voice's owner holding a man named Dr. Wayne at gunpoint on Ontarom.

"Toombs?"

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Did anyone see Toombs' entrance coming? **

**I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed Galaxies so far. Thanks for the support! Please continue to R&R. I'm always looking for feedback.  
**


	14. Chapter 14 - A Little Closer to the Trut

A tall brunette man stood before them. His face looked worn and tired, but his eyes glistened with determination. He wore smoky grey armor with green lighting around the jointed areas. A sniper rifle and a shotgun were strapped to his back and a pistol holstered on his right hip.

He stood on top of a platform on the far end of the warehouse. Behind him was a metal door, probably leading to the outside.

"This meeting is more than I could ever ask for. I honestly thought you died for a second time during the war. This will surely be fun," Toombs said with a smile.

"What the hell? What is this?" Shepard demanded.

"Do you not remember the email I sent you three years ago?"

Shepard took a moment to remember. So much mail came through her personal terminal on a daily basis it was hard to recall what Toombs was referring to. Then she finally remembered. She didn't remember what the whole email said for verbatim but she did remember one particular part of it:

_I've got my own merc team now, Shepard. And I kill any Cerberus team I can find. If I run into you, don't expect any different._

Was Toombs behind CAT6 this whole time? _He _was behind the group her clone hired to kill her?

"I remember," she replied, "but I never expected this."

"You should always expect the unexpected, Shepard. Not doing so will end tragically for you. Not that I mind or anything," Toombs shrugged.

"Toombs, this is all a misunderstanding. I never worked for Cerberus. Their agenda was never mine. Yes, I used their resources, but that was it. I needed to take out the Collectors and that is all it ever was. I understand your hate towards them, but it doesn't need to end badly between us."

"I don't think you truly understand. I see now that you never really worked for them, but what has happened recently has become a growing concern and you must be taken out. The safety of the galaxy depends on it."

"What the hell are you talking about?" She was lost in his reasoning.

"Do you not see it, Shepard? You are a plague to this galaxy! That clone of yours was right about one thing, the Cult of Shepard has spread too far and now I'm the only one who can stop you."

A cult? Was he really serious? Toombs was spewing absurdity at this point. The more Toombs talked, the more livid Shepard became.

"And so blowing up ships and torturing innocents is your way of solving the galaxy's problems? You don't know the first thing about the best interests of everyone. Uniting this galaxy was the only way to bring peace! You just want to destroy it," she spat back at him.

"Those were strategically placed attacks. People need to realize that there is still a threat out there! Since the end of the war, everyone has let their guard down. No one is expecting another catastrophic event like the Reapers. Little do they know, there will always be something around the corner. I'm trying to make them realize that and it's been working. People have taken notice to our threats, but haven't pinned it on us yet. Cerberus is acting as a perfect scapegoat at the moment.

And when the "Galaxy's Savior" has finally been destroyed, people will begin to realize that we are not safe. That is when we, Salus, will come in and create a secure future for us all. All the species will proactively work together to build a better future."

"So CAT6 is just another cover name?" Tali asked.

"Exactly, quarian. Under our guidance, Salus will lead us all to a better future."

"A better future doesn't involve torturing and experimenting on innocents." Kaidan retorted.

"They weren't innocent. They were indoctrinated. Unfortunately for them, the effects did not wear off when the Reapers were destroyed. We tried to help them but their sacrifices have not been in vain. We have a better understanding of the whole process and we were successful in reversing it."

"Toombs, you're going about this all wrong. I understand wanting to help the galaxy but terrorizing it only just to turn around and help it is counterproductive. And whatever research you have on undoing indoctrination is sure to be helpful. We should be working together and not against each other. There is no 'Cult of Shepard' and I'm not a threat to the galaxy. Let's just calm down and talk like civilized…"

"No," he cut her off, "There is no hope for an alliance. You are beyond helping, Shepard. There is only one way this can all end. Enjoy your time in hell. However, if you do get off of this planet alive, it'll be a fun game of cat and mouse between you and me."

He turned around and disappeared behind metal door. Shepard and her team took a few steps forward to start following him when they heard a beeping sound coming from the pile of crates on their right.

It could only be one thing.

A bomb.

"Shit! Tali, find that thing and disarm it. Everyone else, get out of here! Follow Garrus and Kaidan and get to safety. Acanthus, be ready to throw up a biotic field just in case disarming the bomb is impossible," Shepard barked her orders.

"Shepard," Garrus began to say.

"Go!" She yelled back.

With a silent nod from Garrus, he and Kaidan began running to the other side of the warehouse and everyone else followed behind them. While they did that, Tali rushed over to the crates and scanned them to find the source of the bomb. It only took her seconds to locate it and quickly opened the crate containing it.

"Shepard, we've got thirty seconds till this thing goes off!" Tali shouted while she worked on disarming the explosive.

"You've got this, Tali," she reassured her. Shepard moved towards Tali to the point where she could see the countdown over her shoulders. She then looked over to the other end of the warehouse. Everyone else was almost to the door where they came first come through. When she looked back at the timer, there were only ten seconds left.

"Come on, you Bosh'tet!" Tali seethed in frustration.

"How much longer?"

**Five**

"I think I almost got it!"

**Four**

"You _think_?!" Shepard had her biotics ready to throw up a shield between them and the bomb.

**Three**

"Almost there!"

**Two**

"Tali!"

**One**

"I've got it!" Tali yelled. A dead silence filled the room and Shepard's head pounded and she swore her heartbeat could be heard throughout the room. After taking a deep breath to relax her nerves, she found herself laughing. Tali joined her in nervous laughter.

"There's never an uninteresting moment when you're around, Shepard," Tali took a jab at her.

Shepard let out a single laugh, "Yeah. I guess so. Though, you scared the hell out of me with that stunt of yours."

"What stunt?" Tali asked, turning her palms up and shrugging her shoulders.

"'I think I almost got it!'" Shepard mocked, trying her best to impersonate her quarian friend's dialect and manner of speech.

Tali giggled but was soon interrupted by another, flanging, voice calling out to them from the other side of the warehouse.

"Not to interrupt your precious moment you two, but we've got a lunatic to chase," Garrus called out.

"Right," Shepard agreed. When she and Tali caught up with the rest of the squad, Shepard called in to Cortez and requested a pick up at a new LZ in front of the building. It was time for them to get back to the _Normandy_ and try to piece together exactly what Toombs was up to since he was too cryptic to explain himself.

* * *

The shuttle ride back was somber. The mission was tense and it was a close call with the bomb. Unlike the ride down, no one talked. The only words spoken were from Shepard. She expressed that she wanted to discuss with them the information they gathered over some much need cups of coffee at the table in the mess hall.

After everyone changed out of their equipment and into more comfortable clothes, they all reconvened in the mess hall. Shepard was the first one there and prepared three large pots of coffee for everyone. Two were levo based and the other was dextro based. Everyone grabbed a cup and settled in around the table. Silence still lingered amongst them but after everyone had a chance to take a few sips from their mugs, bodies began to loosen up. It was amazing how coffee could ease the rigidness from tensed up soldiers.

With the team in a seemingly more relaxed mood, Shepard decided to begin the meeting by asking Tali what she was able to recover from the laboratory.

"The majority of the data collected from the Salus lab is information we already know. It's about the indoctrination process. I believe they gathered their information from Cerberus' Sanctuary base on Horizon. The parallels in the data are too similar to not be a coincidence. However, the more interesting info is what Toombs mentioned; the reversal of indoctrination."

Tali pulled up relevant records to the process and the results of the experiments. Everyone took a moment to read and examine the documents.

"So they started with psychological therapy but it only led to an increased rate in suicides," Solana spoke first with her observations, "But it looks like the first round of implants helped relieve the suicidal tendencies for a short while. The subjects with the second kind of implants fared much better; however, I've never seen or heard of these kinds of circuits before."

"_These are like_ payarnit _integrated circuits. These haven't been used since the Inar War. Do you not have this kind of technology in this galaxy?" _Ba'el looked to everyone else for an answer.

"They're what circuits now? Genie, did you catch that?" Shepard questioned.

"Your guess is as good as mine. That went right over my head," Genie responded.

"_I take that as a 'no' then,"_ Ba'el sighed then continued, _"A _payarnit_ integrated circuit is similar to a mind control implant but the subject using them receives their thoughts and ideas from the following surroundings instead of a single source, such a puppet master. They were often used during the war by the Harock because the subject with the implant was susceptible to mindlessly fight without being coerced, given they received the right conditioning prior to battle. Many thralls fighting for the Harock were captured, implanted, and influenced with the Harock's manifesto before being sent off to battle. They were said to be ruthless enemies." _

"I guess I don't understand how this is considered to be a cure for indoctrination. It's just another form of brainwashing," Garrus commented.

"_True, but these implants can be turned on or off at any time. I take it by their success, according to their data, it counteracted the indoctrination effect when the implant was on. For how long this lasted, I have no idea." _

"Wait, so they countered the indoctrination effect only to replace it with their own version of brainwashing?" Kaidan reiterated.

"_That would be correct,"_ Ba'el confirmed.

"What do they hope to achieve by doing that?" Acanthus chimed in.

"There are many possibilities. My best guess would be to use them in their new world order or whatever Toombs wants to call it," Garrus answered him.

"We don't know where he ran off to, though. So how do we tackle all of this?" James added his question to the storm of inquiries.

"For now, all we can do is send this over to Liara and see what she can find," Shepard stated, "In the meantime, we need to return to the Citadel. Kaidan will continue on as the escort of the Citadel ambassadors to the Inar Galaxy while we continue to build the fleet. The Reapers are still our number one priority here. Toombs is just an inconvenience that we'll deal with step by step."

And with that, the discussion of Toombs and Salus were over for the time being. Shepard had more important things to deal with. Plus, Liara led them to Salus once and she was bound to do it again. She would have to put trust in her asari companion.

As everyone left to retire for the night, Shepard sent all the data and analysis they had to Liara then headed up to the CIC to plot a course for the Citadel. After that, she decided it would be best get some rest herself.

When she opened the door to her room, Garrus was sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Thought you could use the unwinding," he said, offering her a glass the of duel-chirality wine.

She gave her mate a tired smile and took the glass, "You know me too well."

"I could tell this whole ordeal with Toombs has taken a toll on you. Do you want to talk about it?" he motioned for her to sit next to him on the couch.

She happily obliged and when she did, Garrus wrapped his arm around her and gave her a firm and loving hug. He continued to keep his arm draped around her shoulders.

"I guess I never anticipated my past to come back like this to haunt me. I know Toombs and I had a rocky reunion on Ontarom and I just regarded his email as an empty threat. I never thought he would proactively seek out my destruction by killing innocents."

"We'll deal with him the same way we do any other problem: we'll be ruthlessly relentless until he's taken out while still kicking ass in the rest of the galaxy," he brought her closer to the envelopes of his carapace.

She leaned her head in the crook of his neck, feeling the warmth of his body on her cheeks. She could easily loose herself in just his embrace and often preferred these moments over sex any day. Intimacy in their relationship was not restricted to play time in bed. The complexity of their relationship went beyond just the physical aspects. Soft smiles and playful jabs in the stomach spoke more than words could the majority of the time.

There was also an intricacy with how they interacted with one another on the battlefield. They were so in tune with each other they could predict each other's movements and shots. This was already the case before they became romantically involved with each other but it evolved exponentially afterwards. They acted as one despite being two separate bodies.

"You're right. I think I'm just overreacting to all of this. I have bigger fish to fry anyways," she finally said after relishing in his warmth for a few minutes.

"Why would you be frying fish?" Garrus' voice raised in confusion.

Shepard let out a playful chuckle, "It's a human saying meaning that there are more important things to do. I swear I'm going to have to buy you a manual on human idioms someday."

"Now that's not fair," he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away slightly, turning her towards him so she looked squarely at him, "Why do I have to be the one learn all these nonsensical sayings?"

"Because it's part of our culture. Get used to it," she smiled and leaned back into his embrace.

"Silly humans and your sayings," he said, giving up on the argument. He wrapped his arms around her body as she moved in closer.

They spent the rest of the night in each others arms, sipping on wine and talking about unrelated topics.

These were the moments Shepard truly cherished.

* * *

**A/N: ****I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll be adding some less dramatic moments into the story, meaning it'll focus on crew interactions with Shepard and each other and some other nonsensical fun. I will also go further in depth on Genie's background soon, so look out for that interlude. **

**I probably won't have an update for a week or so. I'll be visiting my best friend and then going to a convention with her this weekend, so I won't be near a computer much to write. However, I will try my best to update before the start of the weekend, but no promises. Thanks in advance for you patience and understanding. **

**Please R&R!**


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